As part of the Lottery funded project Touching Lives, Transforming families SENSE are providing Intensive Interaction training for professionals and support staff who support children and young people with a vision and or hearing loss/ additional and complex needs. The training is on Thursday 18 February from 9.30 to 3.30pm via zoom.

Click here for more information.

Forge Family Bonds with BBC’s Tiny Happy People – click here for more information.

Music Therapy, Dramatherapy and Art Therapy in N.I. invite our HSC colleagues, and any other interested parties, to a webinar discussing how the three creative arts therapies can positively impact the healthcare system today and help to decrease the pressures it continues to face. Click here for more information.

The Department for the Economy (DfE) launched an Apprenticeship Recovery Package for Northern Ireland on September 11^th with the aim of providing financial support to local businesses to help the apprenticeship system respond to the impact of the COVID-19 crisis.

The Recovery Package included three schemes – the Apprenticeship Challenge Fund, the Apprentice Recruitment Incentive and the Apprenticeship Return, Retain and Result Scheme.  Applications for the Apprenticeship Challenge Fund closed on 23^rd October.  13 projects were successful in their application for funding and work on these projects is now under way.  Details on the remaining schemes which are still open are below.   Further information can be found on the NI Business Info website.

Recruitment of New Apprenticeships

This incentive is available to all employers to support the recruitment of new apprentices. Employers will be eligible for up to £3,000 for each new apprenticeship opportunity created from 1 April 2020 to 31 March 2021. This bonus will apply to all new apprenticeship opportunities and includes apprentices who have been made redundant:

• Payment 1 – £2,000 after 90 days retention following start* of new apprenticeship
• Payment 2 – £1,000 after 200 days retention following start* of a new paid apprenticeship

Further details on the scheme, full eligibility terms and how to apply can be found here: Coronavirus: New Apprenticeship Incentive Scheme (nibusinessinfo.co.uk)

Apprenticeship Return, Retain and Result Scheme

To help return apprentices from furlough, and retain them until 31st March 2021 and on to successful completion of their apprenticeship, DfE will provide incentive payments to employers to support the return, retention and result for apprentices.  The total amount payable under the scheme will be a maximum of £3,700 per apprentice, distribution as follows:

• Return – £500 per returned furloughed apprentice payable for the first full month of paid apprenticeship from 1 November 2020
• Retain – maximum of £2,000 available: £500 per month for up to 4 months of paid apprenticeship between 1 December 2020 and 31 March 2021
• Result – £1,200 for successful full framework achievement of a returned furloughed apprentice

Further details on the scheme can be found here:  Coronavirus: Apprenticeship Return, Retain and Result Scheme (nibusinessinfo.co.uk)

The Apprenticeship Recovery incentives will be promoted again as part of a three week media campaign from 8 to 28 February 2021.  This follows on from the media campaigns in September and November and again utilises TV, radio, outdoor billboards and a variety of social media platforms.

The BBC Zoe Ball Show featured their first THP Family….. from Northern Ireland!

Click here for more information.

Parent Line are offering information sessions on Top Tips for Talking, day time slots and evening slots are being held to accommodate ALL Parents/Carers/Professionals. Click here for more information.