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Pictured at the launch of the Changing Lives initiative were (from left): Hugh Doogan, chair of Project Steering Committee; Gerard O’Hanlon, Department of Health; Jacqueline McDevitt, Department of Health; Dr Lucia Carragher and David Simpson, both of the Project Steering Committee and Diarmuid O’Callaghan, president of DKIT.Photo: David Mullen

Project to provide early support for neurodivergent children

healthwise

Published: Sun 5 Oct 2025, 7:54 AM

Last updated: Sun 5 Oct 2025, 7:55 AM

A NEW cross-border project which will address neurodevelopmental conditions like ADHD and autism and provide a range of early supports has been launched.

The Changing Lives Initiative: Flourish & Thrive project will work with 8,700 children including some from Cavan, Monaghan and Louth.

The driving ambition of the initiative is to develop a regionally consistent model of early support to families dealing with neurodiverse behaviours in their children.

Explaining the services available to families, chairperson of the project steering committee, Hugh Doogan, said: “We offer a range of interventions to parents including workshops, short programmes, on-line supports and longer evidence-based parent programmes. When you register an interest, our team will match you with the most suitable interventions to meet your needs.

Funding of €8.37M has been awarded to the four-year project from PEACEPLUS, a programme managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB).

The project is also available to children from three healthcare trusts in the North.

The supports are open to all parents and care givers in the project area who think their family might benefit. No diagnosis is required to access the supports. Parents can sign up themselves, or any practitioner (such as GP, teacher, family support) can link parents in with the project.

Cross-border partnership is being hailed as the way forward in the provision of services for children with neurodiverse conditions.

Match-funding for the project has been provided by the Department of Health in Northern Ireland and the Department of Health in Ireland.

“With demands on health and social care services so high, coupled with major issues in terms of resources, cross-border co-operation can alleviate those pressures by delivering economies of scale,” Gina McIntyre of the SEUPB said.

“The Changing Lives Initiative: Flourish & Thrive offers early supports to parents of children who may be neurodivergent and experience the world in their own unique way,” she added.