What we’ve been up to in Northern Ireland

4 mins read

Wednesday 24 June 2026

It’s been a busy few weeks for Contact Northern Ireland, as we continue to support families while strengthening key relationships.

Read on to find out what we’ve been up to….

Spotlight on disabled children’s rights at Stormont

At the end of May, Susan Walls, Northern Ireland Programme Manager, was invited to Stormont for the launch of a major new report. CINI (Children in Northern Ireland), the umbrella organisation for the children’s sector in Northern Ireland, hosted the event.

Left Out: Disabled Children’s Rights and Experiences in Northern Ireland is based on new research, including a survey of more than 1,100 parents and carers. It highlights significant inequalities disabled children experience across education, healthcare, play and leisure, participation, and standards of living. It concludes that disabled children are consistently less likely than their non-disabled peers to have their rights recognised in every one of these areas.

The event brought together policymakers, professionals, parent carers and organisations from across the sector. Together they discussed the findings and what needs to change to improve outcomes for disabled children and their families.

Read the report in full.

Highlighting challenges at Family Fund’s exhibition

In early June we were back at Stormont, this time for a Family Fund exhibition. This event brought together MLAs, policymakers and organisations to explore the challenges facing families raising disabled children across Northern Ireland.

The event focused on four key priorities families identified: financial inclusion, digital inclusion, play, and access to short breaks. Two important reports were highlighted. The Cost of Caring 2025 explores the financial pressures families raising disabled children face. Digitally Excluded 2026 examines how a lack of access to devices, connectivity and digital skills can prevent families from accessing services and support.

A range of political representatives and stakeholders attended the exhibition. This gave us the opportunity to share our own evidence of the challenges faced by families.

Four women stand smiling at an event in front of Family Fund banners. One woman holds a sign that reads "I support Family Fund." The banners highlight support for families with disabled children.
Pictured from left to right: Ruth Kane, Family Fund Policy and Public Affairs Manager NI , Joanne Bunting depute in the office of deputy 1st minister Emma Little-Pengelly, Susan Walls, Programme Manager, Contact Northern Ireland and Jan Wright from Fragile X.

Celebrating parent carers at the “We See You” event

At the end of May, our team were invited to a special event, organised by Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council. Described as a “We See You” event, it recognised parents and carers who care for children with disabilities. NI broadcaster Paul Clark hosted, and it was open to any family living in the area with a disabled child.

The morning featured a series of talks, presentations and discussions. The Mayor of Antrim and Newtownabbey, Councillor Leah Kirkpatrick, led a day of meaningful and empowering conversation, including a keynote speech reflecting on her experience as a parent of children with profound needs and how her family navigates everyday life. Next, Susan Walls about the work of Contact NI and how we support parents.

Other speakers and panellists included Sasha Gillespie, Law Lecturer at Ulster University and Alma White, from Caleb’s Cause. Alma won the ‘ChangeMaker Award’ at our Contact Awards last year. In the afternoon, families could chat and meet organisations directly, including the Contact NI team at our information stand.

After the event, we were delighted to receive some lovely feedback from the council:

“We’re very grateful to you for speaking and also hosting an information stand. Your involvement really enriched the event, which was such a new type of initiative for us (which can be daunting). We’re delighted that it all went so well and with positive feedback coming in, particularly about all the speakers and the signposting available.  I especially loved your statement when you said, “We’ve got you now…” – that was very powerful. “

Five people stand outdoors beside a sign that reads "We See You: Building an Inclusive Borough." They are dressed in smart attire, smiling, with trees and a building in the background on a sunny day.

Pictured from left to right: Susan Walls, Contact NI, parent Adenike Yisa, the Mayor Councillor Leah Kirkpatrick, a council representative, Host Paul Clark.

And finally….

We’re delighted to share that we’ve secured National Lottery Awards for All funding to launch and pilot our By Your Side service in Northern Ireland for the very first time.

This is a big milestone as it means that Contact will be operating By Your Side in three out of the four nations of the UK (England, Scotland and NI). This allows us to reach more families than ever who are staying in or visiting hospital.

We will be launching the new service at the end of this month, so more details will be coming soon.