Ms Lorraine Higgins:

We spoke about the successes and personal development our students achieve from engaging in education but there also tends to be a knock-on effect on the wider family where we help to break down barriers and stigma that may exist around education. In Cork we have the Dillon's Cross Project, an outreach project for female relatives of people in prison. It has been running for the past 27 years. While people in prison are given the opportunity to engage in education, imprisonment does not often occur in a vacuum but is often compounded by experience of disadvantage. We would like to give the families the opportunity to engage in education and receive the supports and services they need. This is not just educational, although that is a key element of what we do. It is also about the social and emotional support we provide to our students. It is that cup of tea in the morning when people who have a family member in prison come in and are able to have a conversation with people who are in the same situation as them in a non-judgmental way.

In the Dillon's Cross Project we offer participants the opportunity to engage in phase 1 and phase 2, where they participate in full QQI level 3 awards as well as other life skill courses such as the Red Cross, food and nutrition courses. It is very much a learner-led service. This year, with the support of Cork ETB, we also provided Lámh training, so students were able to communicate using sign language. This has been running really successfully and we have had many successes out of it. We also have students who have progressed to further education and employment. We have strong links with the further education colleges and the ETB. One student who did a full colouring skills award in the Dillon's Cross Project is now doing a level 5 qualification and is in full-time employment. This has a knock-on effect on the whole community and the whole family. These women become positive role models for their children. They get that shared experience of education with their children as well, where they and their children are engaging in education and the partner in prison is engaging in education as well. It is really breaking that barrier and helping them to navigate educational pathways, which is crucial. For a lot of people, the education system can be a very daunting experience, particularly for parents who did not have a positive experience of education themselves. That is a really positive part of what we do.