Ms. Tracey O'Neill

The project aims to evaluate the practice and impact of the Community Children's Programme at Meath Women's Refuge and Support Services (MWRSS).

neXt-Reality aims to improve preparedness for and management of disasters and health emergencies by developing and implementing an eXtended Reality and Citizen Science-based preparedness ecosystem to empower vulnerable groups, particularly children and young people (C&YP).

Breast milk confers numerous documented benefits, including the provision of optimal nutrition, promotion of appropriate growth and development, and reduction in the incidence of infectious diseases among infants. The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends exclusive breastfeeding up to 6 months of age and continuation alongside complementary feeding until the age of 2 years. The advantages of breastfeeding extend to both the mother and infant, including not only physiological and medical outcomes but also psychological and emotional well-being through maternal"infant bonding. Ireland's breastfeeding rates are amongst the lowest in Europe, with breastfeeding rates of infants with Down Syndrome being even lower. Several factors contribute to these low rates for infants with Down Syndrome, such as medical complications, including anatomical structural barriers. The proposed project presented in this application seeks to explore the breastfeeding experiences of mothers of children with Down Syndrome in Ireland to help develop more effective and responsive support services. This seed funding will facilitate a two-phased approach to explore breastfeeding initiation, exclusivity and duration amongst this cohort of breastfeeding mothers. Findings will inform breastfeeding and maternal-child health strategies. Furthermore, it will offer new insights with the potential to revolutionise breastfeeding support for families of children with Down Syndrome.

This half-day PPI event, titled Design-a-Study Day, invites primary school-aged children with and without chronic illnesses (e.g., asthma, epilepsy) to participate in a co-design workshop that explores how health is experienced and supported in schools. Through structured, child-friendly mini-workshops, children will brainstorm, prioritise themes, and co-create research questions and project ideas that reflect their experiences of how their health is managed during the school day. The workshop will promote equity, empower children as co-researchers, and provide valuable insight into child-centred research design. Parents will be invited to remain on-site in a supportive "coffee corner," ensuring a welcoming and safe environment. The workshop findings will inform future research on health supports in schools, led by the applicants.