St. Catherine’s Community Services

St Catherine’s Community Services Centre is a registered charity (CHY12882) and community and voluntary agency based in Carlow Town. The Centre delivers a wide range of services to communities, groups and individuals on a local, countywide and regional basis that are responsive to identified needs. St. Catherine’s use community development principles to build capacity within disadvantaged communities thereby empowering communities to identify and meet the needs in their areas and contribute to the development of policies locally and nationally to support this process.
The main services provided by St. Catherine’s are:
1. Services for older people including Meals on Wheels and Socially Monitored Alarms
2. Early Years Childcare in St. Catherine’s and the Kilkenny Road Community Childcare and Family Centre
3. Family Support including the Strengthening Families programme
4. Teen Parent Support programme
5. Education, Training and Development including, Community and Parental Education including Learning for Everyday Life and Preparation for Work, Evening Classes and adult education
6. Education and training programmes for young people including the Moving on Programme and Want to Work
7. Making Connections one to one educational support for people who have become disconnected from mainstream training and education
8. Traveller Programmes including Community Development, Traveller Men’s Health and Primary Health Care
9. New Communities support including the Carlow Rohingya Education and Work Experience programme (CREWE)
St. Catherine’s Community Services Centre is committed to ensuring the participation of individuals and groups most at risk of poverty and social exclusion. This includes young mothers, lone parents and their children, the Travelling Community, new communities, young people and marginalised people and families.
Their mission is to provide quality services responsive to local needs, based on equality, diversity, justice and inclusion with a view to empowering and enriching individuals, families and communities in Carlow and its environment.

St Catherine’s CSC aims:
• To ensure work is responsive to local need with respect for equality, individuality and diversity
• To empower people to take control over their own lives and to participate fully in society
• To reduce the barriers to participation of those most at risk of exclusion, poverty and disadvantage
Their Objectives are:
• To involve and consult with participants, target groups and local community in the planning, implementation and evaluation stages of all programmes and activities
• To work in partnership with statutory and voluntary agencies and community groups to ensure an effective, coordinated and strategic response to local needs
• To proactively encourage and facilitate the participation of those at risk of exclusion, poverty and disadvantage
• To do this through the provision of information, support, community and developmental education
• To promote and support voluntary work as a means of providing services and to recognise and value the role and work of volunteers
• To evaluate and plan the work of St Catherine’s on a regular basis to ensure that it is remaining responsive to identified need