ISPCC’s Annual General Meeting
Resource type: News
At the recent AGM of the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, held on 26th May 2011, the resounding message was sincere gratitude and admiration for the commitment and hard work of its volunteers. With 2011 designated the European Year of Volunteering, the ISPCC welcomed volunteer speakers from its Childline, Mentoring Support, Leanbh and Advocacy services to provide an insight into the challenging roles they face and how these services are making a tangible difference at ground level.
CEO Ashely Balbairnie surrounded by a number of volunteers
The ISPCC also highlighted an outstanding increase in the amount of time contributed by volunteers to the service, with a calculated figure of over 40,000 hours provided in 2008 rising to almost 80,000 hours contributed to its services by volunteers all over Ireland in 2010. This growth is partly due to the support of Atlantic Philanthropies and it’s funding of a project to recruit additional volunteers in the West of Ireland.
The Minister for Children, Frances Fitzgerald
While addressing the AGM, Chairman Pat Byrne and CEO Ashley Balbirnie reminded the Government to follow through on election commitments and advised that although changes in the management of children’s issues were welcomed, there is still a significant amount of work remaining to be done in order to provide adequate protection for children in Ireland. Ms. Frances Fitzgerald, Minister for Children, attended the AGM and highly praised the efforts of the ISPCC volunteers, applauding their dedication in the face of increased demand for services and reduced resources, whilst asserting that she would be supporting the ISPCC in 2011.
Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children is an Atlantic grantee.