Helen Fitzgerald and Dr Johnny Connolly in a town square in Herleen, the Netherlands
Thursday, 24 October 2024

REPPP Team Members Helen Fitzgerald and Dr Johnny Connolly were invited by Ballyhoura Development to take part in a study visit to Heerlen, The Netherlands on October 14th to 17th.

The study visit took place as part of Ballyhoura's Citicess Project. Citicess - Citizen Centered Social Services is an EU project which brings together 8 partners from across Europe to share information and learning and to jointly test new approaches to support marginalised communities.

In Heerlen, delegates attended a Masterclass on the Breakthrough Method being piloted by the Municipality of Heerlen as a new approach to supporting families experiencing multiple complex challenges. The approach involves a multi-disciplinary team of service providers working collaboratively to identify and provide tailored solutions to assist families 'break through' the challenges they are facing.

Delegates met with the Breakthrough Team who shared valuable insights and learning of relevance to REPPP's No Wrong Door Project. The aim of the No Wrong Door Project is to explore the needs of young people at risk of being in contact with the justice system and to identify potential collaborative responses based on the “No Wrong Door” principle.