Employers for Childcare’s Northern Ireland Childcare Survey 2020 is now open.  With the restoration of the Executive, and childcare a key priority, it is a really important time for parents and childcare providers to share their experience of providing, accessing and affording childcare.  There are two surveys, one for parents and one for childcare providers.  Each takes less than ten minutes to complete.  Now in its 11th year, this Childcare Survey is a vital source of information for policy makers, and ensures that a broad range of voices are heard in the campaign to have an accessible, high quality and affordable childcare infrastructure that meets the needs of children, parents and childcare providers.  The input of fathers would be particularly welcome.  Parents will have the chance to win an overnight stay at the luxury Galgorm Resort and Spa in Co. Antrim [by completing the Parent survey at: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/2020childcaresurvey].  Childcare providers will be in with a chance to win a £100 Boots voucher [by completing the childcare provider survey at: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/2020childcareprovider].

The South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust (SEHSCT) invite you to learn four basic steps to recognise persons with thoughts of suicide and to connect them with support.  Most people with thoughts of suicide invite help.  Often these opportunities are missed, dismissed or avoided - leaving people more alone and at greater risk.  SafeTALK training prepares you to help by using TALK (Tell, Ask, Listen and Keep Safe) to identify and engage people with thoughts of suicide and to connect them with further help and care.  This free training is for anyone who wants to help prevent suicide.  Sessions will take place on: Tuesday 21st April 2020 (Cloona House); Wednesday 20th May 2020 (Ards Community Network); and Tuesday 23rd June 2020 (Downshire Hospital).  All sessions run from 9.30am - 12.30pm.  To book a place or for more information, contact: Eileen Young at Email: Eileen.Young@setrust.hscni.net or Tel: 02891 510181.

At a time of increasing demands upon all who work in delivering health and wellbeing support services to the public, it is vitally important that our own mental health and wellbeing is resilient enough to meet the pressures placed upon us.  To gain a snapshot of the current state of mental health and wellbeing in the support sector - and as an aid to further dialogue on how we might do it differently - Men’s Action Network (as part of the ELEVATE programme) invites you take part in a short survey.  The aim of this is for you to pause for a few minutes to consider the impact that your work has on you and on your life outside of work.  Find out more at: https://s.surveyplanet.com/rMc09J_l

The Southern Area Men’s Health Group invites you to join them at their free Annual Men’s Health Seminar which will take place on Friday 6th March 2020, from 9.30am - 2.00pm, in Tandragee Recreation Centre, Tandragee, Co. Armagh.  This year, the focus is upon 'DeMENtia - Men in the Middle', and the programme will look at things such as: what is dementia; how does dementia impact upon men as sufferers, carers and family members; practical things to help support people with dementia; where / how to find help in the Southern Health and Social Care Trust area.  Places must be booked in advance, and lunch and refreshments will be provided on the day.  If you are interested in attending, contact Donna by Email: donna@youthaction.org or Telephone: 028 37511624.

This year (2020), the Men’s Health Forum in Ireland (MHFI) will be twenty-one years old.  It is, therefore, important for the Forum to reflect upon how the health of men and boys has progressed since it began.

To achieve this, MHFI is inviting tenders for an initiative which will focus upon researching and analysing secondary data on the health and wellbeing of males in Ireland.  This work will identify changes in the health of local men and boys, and provide a detailed snapshot of their current health status.

The 'Invitation to Tender' document is available at: www.mhfi.org/Tender2020.pdf

The deadline for return of submissions will be 5.00pm on Friday 24th January 2020.

Are middle-aged men not interested in looking after their own mental health, or are we simply not offering them the right things in the right way? ...

If you work in the Republic of Ireland, are curious about the answer to this question, and would like to explore practical strategies to help your organisation to engage more effectively with middle-aged men, then you might be interested in a free one day workshop on ‘Men in the Middle’ - engaging middle-aged men in mental health and wellbeing.  This workshop has been developed by the Men’s Health Forum in Ireland (MHFI), and is a new Unit within the highly successful and long-running ‘Engage’ National Men’s Health Training Programme.  MHFI is currently looking for groups who would like to host this free workshop for their staff / volunteers / activists.  Click here for more details ...

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from everyone in the Men's Health Forum in Ireland!

However, we know that the holidays can often be a stressful and worrying time for many people.  Therefore, please remember that if you need help and support over the Christmas period, you can always contact ...

• The Samaritans (all Ireland) - Freephone 116 123
• Pieta House (RoI) - Freephone 1800 247 247
• Lifeline (NI) - Freephone 0808 808 8000

or visit: www2.hse.ie/get-urgent-help | www.mindingyourhead.info

The Men’s Health Forum in Ireland was established in response to the growing recognition of the need to address the poor health status of males on the island of Ireland.  However, one of the first challenges facing MHFI was to gain access to reliable data upon which to plan future interventions.  This remains an ongoing concern.

This barrier was, initially, overcome when MHFI launched its ‘Men’s Health in Ireland’ report in January 2004.  This document provided the most comprehensive overview of key statistics on local men's health ever collated up to that time.  It offered clear evidence of men's health needs, and a roadmap for action.  Importantly, it also provided a baseline against which to measure progress in the future.  However, since 2004, there has been no further large scale attempt to statistically map what (if anything) has changed in the realm of men’s health in Ireland.

In 2020, MHFI will be twenty-one years old.  It is, therefore, important for the Forum to reflect upon how the health of men and boys has progressed during this period.  To achieve this, MHFI will be issuing an ‘Invitation to Tender’ in the New Year - to commission (mostly) statistical research which identifies changes in men’s health in Ireland since 2004, and provides a detailed snapshot of men’s health currently.  If you would like to receive this Invitation to Tender when it becomes available, please email: tenders@mhfi.org