Family and Parenting Support Facilities
- Published on: 23 December 2025
- Last updated on: 23 December 2025
Frequently asked questions relating to family and parenting support facilities can be found below.
Community-based family and parenting supports will be provided in the former Dispensary building and nearby former Scots Church along with other relevant educational and community activities. Managed by the National College of Ireland (NCI) supported by their Early Learning Initiative (ELI), the purpose-built, child-centred facilities will provide additional much needed dedicated spaces for ELI’s Parent Child Home Visiting and Family Engagement Programmes, as well as other community-based health, educational and social services, thereby enabling us to support more at-risk children and families living in Dublin’s Inner City. Staffed by local people, these facilities will be safe places that foster an inclusive spirit of belonging, pride of place and ownership for the diverse local community, in particular families living in overcrowded or emergency accommodation; children with disabilities or learning delays and parents experiencing the many challenges of parenting very young children today.
The Dispensary building will provide dedicated indoor and outdoor play and therapeutic spaces for children aged 0-6 years. These will include open, family-friendly, educational spaces for baby massage, toddler groups and storytelling session along with space for home visiting and parent support sessions, family consultation room, a purpose-built sensory room and a sensory pod to aid emotional regulation. A prototype of these spaces is available for viewing at National College of Ireland’s PlayLab and Sanctuary spaces.
The Scots Church building is designed for out of school educational activities with children aged 7-18 years, their parents and families. Like the Dispensary building, the space will be available to local statutory and community organisations for a wide range of community intergenerational activities, including meetings, courses, events, workshops etc. The space will cater for older children and young people engaging in Robotic Coding Clubs, STEM activities, Doodle Den after school programme, Language Cafes, Restorative Conversations and Educational Guidance sessions in the afternoon and evening; thereby raising their educational aspirations and supporting them to gain the skills needed for continuing in education. It will also be available to local early years services and schools as required during the day.
Acknowledging, respecting and utilising the expertise and experience within the local families and communities is at the heart of ELI’s cyclical community action research process, which is working to ensure that these facilities are designed and evolve to meet the changing needs and supports required by the children and families living in the NEIC.
There is no crèche located within the NCRR site itself. However, it is important to note that, as part of the North East Inner City regeneration, the Government is committed to ensuring that the National Centre campus complements the redevelopment of the nearby former Rutland Street School. It is planned that this redevelopment will include a range of facilities including a crèche, community gardens, a local radio station, enterprise incubator units, and a café/community hall—together providing valuable resources for the local community.