Simon a 3-year old from a family of four Simon's family became homeless in 2016. His family lived in rental accommodation, but the landlord decided to sell the home. The family was given adequate notice but rental rates in the area had become prohibitively expensive. In addition, this family was not entitled to any social welfare support due to their legal status in Ireland. A considerable amount of work was done in relation to this and Barnardos advocated on be- half of this family with Fingal County Council and Focus Ireland (homelessness charity). As a result, Simon's family is for now provided with homeless accommodation and a free legal center is advocat- ing for them to be placed on the housing list. The Flagship funding has assisted with trans- port for Simon to attend the Barnardos pre-school daily and return to his temporary accommodation in a neighboring county afterwards. It has also enabled the purchase of public transport which helped Simon’s three older sisters to remain in school in Co. Dublin. This funding has enabled Simon’s mother to attend and complete her training and gain a new qualification. During his year with Barnardos, Simon’s self-esteem and social skills have improved a great deal. He is now able to share and take turns and presents as a very happy little boy who is ready for primary school. Aisling a 3-year old from a family of seven Aisling's family was referred to Barnardos due to domestic violence and addiction. Aisling was then referred by Barnardos for a full developmental assessment which began with the Assessment of Need. Aisling’s overall development is quite de- layed, and she needs one-to-one support in Bar- nardos. Her speech and language have improved during the year she has been attending Barnardos but she still requires a lot of support, especially around her social and emotional development. When families are homeless it is often very difficult for parents to keep on top of appoint- ments in relation to their children. Letters from other agencies can get lost and appointments are easily missed. Barnardos was able to advocate for Aisling’s assessment and assist her mother with following up on this. Without this direct support from Barnardos this child and family would have received an assessment much later, further com- promising Aisling’s development. The Flagship funding has helped with the cost of transport. Funding was used towards petrol for the family car enabling her mother to drive Aisling to Barnardos daily and her older siblings to school. Without this, it is very likely that the children would have missed out on their schooling throughout the year. The funding was also used towards family trips out and food vouchers to support some qual- ity family time and access to varied nutrition. Meet some of the North Dublin Children You Have Helped connect 2019 • 51