Rainbows Ireland – Supporting Children with Bereavement and Parental Separation

An Introduction to Rainbows for Parents/Guardians – Supporting you to support your child/young person at a time of Bereavement or through Parental Separation/Divorce.

We are pleased to offer parents and guardians a chance to join us on zoom to learn more about Rainbows – perhaps your son or daughter has started a Rainbows programme, is planning on attending or may have attended in the past.

The session aims to tell you about the Rainbows programmes, how they work and how they can support your son/daughter.

Rainbows is almost 40 years in Ireland. We have learnt a lot from children and young people and what their concerns and worries can be. The focus of every session is on children/young people and is not on adult issues. It explores how children of different ages and stages of development can be affected by what has happened, highlighting what is normal and how you can help.

It is an informal welcoming space to listen – no pressure to speak – questions can be asked at any time.

Many parents and guardians have attended to date and have indicated how helpful it has been.

We very much look forward to welcoming you on zoom.

Please boil the kettle, bring your cuppa and log in to meet Anne from Rainbows who will deliver the sessions.

Dates for “Introduction for Parents/Guardians to the Rainbows Ireland Separation Programmes”

New dates for this Autumn coming soon

Dates for “Introduction for Parents/Guardians to the Rainbows Ireland Bereavement Programme”

New dates for this Autumn coming soon

Separation

Approximately one in every ten marriages ends in separation or divorce, in Ireland. That might seem high, but it is actually the lowest rate of separation and divorce in Europe and the third lowest in the world. 94,924

Ethos & Values

Our vision is that the grief experienced by children and young people in Ireland, following a significant loss in their lives through bereavement, parental separation or divorce, is recognised and that they are offered the understanding and support

Welcome to Rainbows

In 1983, Rainbows was formally established in Chicago, USA by Suzy Yehl Marta

Rainbows is a national children’s voluntary service with an average of 6,000 children and young people coming into the service every year throughout Ireland. Rainbows supports children and young people in groups. There are groups for children and young people who have been affected by the death of a close family member and there are groups for children and young people whose family has changed because their parents have separated or divorced. In 1983, Rainbows was formally established in Chicago, USA by Suzy Yehl Marta (died 2013) following a personal divorce. She could not locate any services to support her children at that time. Thus, the Rainbows programme and service was founded to provide support for children and young people, experiencing a significant loss through death and separation or divorce. The programme and service has grown and developed across the USA, into 28 countries and at present is growing and developing in Africa, Japan. Rainbows is well present in The UK, Canada and Australia. In 1988, Rainbows Ireland was formally established as an organisation by the Presentation Sisters. Sr Elizabeth Maxwell and Sr Cecilia Molloy trained in the USA to deliver the Rainbows programme. On returning to Ireland, thirty six volunteers were trained to recruit and train volunteers across the country. Since then Rainbows has been grown and developed in over six hundred locations throughout Ireland. These locations are predominantly in school settings, family resource centres, parish centres, youth projects and other social agencies. The Rainbows service is open to all children and families of all religious beliefs and none. The National Office was established in 1997 in The Loreto Centre, Crumlin Road, Dublin 12, to handle the overall administration of Rainbows in Ireland.

Welcome to the Rainbows

founded by 1984

Rainbows is a national children’s voluntary service with an average of 6,000 children and young people coming into the service every year throughout Ireland. Rainbows supports children and young people in groups. There are groups for children and young people who have been affected by the death of a close family member and there are groups for children and young people whose family has changed because their parents have separated or divorced.

Mission Statement

The Vision of Rainbows

Our vision is that the grief experienced by children and young people in Ireland, following a significant loss in their lives from bereavement or loss through parental separation and divorce, is recognised and that they are offered the understanding and support necessary to foster emotional well-being.

The Mission of Rainbows

Rainbows Ireland works to enable children and young people who have experienced a significant loss to access peer support. This support happens within their local communities as they seek to come to terms with their grief and loss.

The Aim of Rainbows

We aim to fulfil our mission by establishing, maintaining and supporting a national network of accredited Programme Centres, where trained facilitators are recruited by each Programme Centre Management Body to guide participants through the various Rainbows peer support group based programmes.

Equality Statement

The service respects and values the diversity of all children and families. The Rainbows service is committed to maintaining a service that does not discriminate, directly or indirectly on the grounds of gender, gender identity, marital status, family status, sexual orientation, religious belief, political opinion, disability, age, race or ethnic origin. The service recognises that all children and young people, regardless of their circumstances, have a right to have their grief and loss recognised and to be given opportunities to express their feelings and emotions.

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