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Advice NI has developed an outreach mobile advice van service to deliver advice to the most marginalised and vulnerable people.

Do you want to make a difference in the lives of older people? Are you confident using technology? Can you spare 90 minutes per week for 10 weeks to improve the digital skills of a small group of participants.If this sounds like you then we need your help. 

Advice NI, in partnership with our members, are delighted to announce that we are developing a sector wide Volunteering Strategy that will create a new function within Advice NI’s current services to oversee the development, growth and sustainability of volunteering across the network. 

Our vision is a just and equal society of confident, informed, active citizens who can assess their rights and entitlements. Help us achieve our vision.

To mark the achievements of our Theory of Change project that was funded by the Department for Communities we held an event at the Skainos Centre in Belfast on July 3rd 2019.

Do you want to help make a difference to people's lives by volunteering? 

This September featured a gathering of the Volunteer Working Group (VWG) at Advice NI head office in Belfast.

The Covid-19 crisis has meant that Advice NI has suspended all its face-to-face activities, including volunteering, for the time being. 

Sands Northern Ireland Network (SandsNI) is the regional branch of SandsUK. Sands was founded in 1978 by a small group of bereaved parents devastated by the death of their babies and in particular what they felt was a complete lack of knowledge and understanding of the significance and impact of their loss. Sands has around 100 support groups across the UK with 10 of these in Northern Ireland. All the support groups are run by trained Sands Befrienders who are bereaved parents themselves and have been supported through their grief by Sands and are now giving that support back to other parents. Steven Guy, SandsNI Network Co-ordinator saysSandsNI provides support to bereaved parents through our monthly support evenings where parents can chat informally over a cup of tea or coffee about how they are coping with their loss. We also provide every maternity & neonatal unit in Northern Ireland with Sands leaflet packs and Memory Boxes. The Memory Boxes include a hand-knit blanket, 2(Identical) teddy bears, one for baby, one for the parents and an inkless hand & footprint kit. The boxes encourage parents to create as many memories of their baby as possible in the short time they have with them. Training, accredited by the Royal College of Midwives, is also provided to health professionals and is delivered by the SandsUK team of facilitators. We also support research into the causes of baby deaths and in 2014 £50,000 was donated by SandsNI to fund several SandsUK projects. We have a NI Helpline 07740993450 which is available during office hours for parents to speak to someone about their loss. We have a dedicated Baby Garden in Portadown where parents can lay a simple stone with their baby’s name hand-painted on it among the flowers and plants in the garden and next to the other babies stones. We also have 2 Christmas carol services, Portadown and Derry, where parents are invited to buy a toy or gift for the age their child would be each Christmas. These toys & gifts are donated to the St Vincent De Paul/ Salvation Army toy appeal. Everything we do is funded by the fundraising efforts of the parents we support and we are extremely grateful to everyone who fundraises for us because without their efforts we could not continue to support the parents who are bereaved every year in Northern Ireland.