We are so happy that the long awaited mother and baby unit is happening and has been confirmed by the Health minister. The site at the City Hospital was announced in November 2023 so we are delighted that it has finally been confirmed that this work will go ahead. Now mums who need to be […]
Please join Women’s Spaces for their end of year conference focusing on realising rights for Women in Northern Ireland, on Tuesday 19 May in the Guildhall in Derry at 11am – 2pm. They will be joined by experts and policy makers from the women’s sector to discuss and engage with women about issues that affect […]
DAERA Minister Andrew Muir has launched a public consultation on a new draft long-term rural policy. NIRWN members and staff have already attended in person consultation events. We would encourage you to register for the online consultation event which takes place on Monday 18th May 2026 (7pm to 8pm). For further details on the consultation […]
The WSN Policy Worker, Siobhán Harding, has completed a series of focus groups with women across Northern Ireland for the next Consortium research paper ‘Mental Health Matters for Women’. The focus groups involved 67 women in total and 60 women completed questionnaire returns. The aim of the research was to highlight a number of areas: […]
This document, Strength and Solidarity: Climate and Civil Food Resilience, highlights the urgent need for the UK government and civil society to develop civil food resilience as part of the necessary preparation for climate change and an increasingly insecure world. The guide takes a hopeful, can-do approach by providing practical steps for individuals and communities as […]
NIRWN would encourage you to have your say on how rural policy is delivered for the next 15 years. We know you have plenty of views, experience and ideas. Policy only has the impact we hope for when it is shaped by those with lived experience. If you live or work in rural areas your […]
We wanted to bring to your attention an Open Letter issued by the NSPCC, calling for children in Northern Ireland to be given equal protection under the law. Currently, the legal defence of ‘reasonable chastisement’ means that physical punishment of children can still be justified, leaving children with less protection from harm than adults. As […]
Since 2020 a total of 30 women have been violently killed in Northern Ireland so violence against women and girls is still a very serious challenge in our society. It is a problem that is hidden in plain sight and every day we see how it is affecting the lives of women and girls, wherever […]
Campaigns: Guarantee our Essentials Siobhán is part of a campaign from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and the Trussell Trust calling for an Essentials Guarantee within Universal Credit. The Essentials Guarantee would embed in the social security system a principle that at a minimum Universal Credit should protect people from going without essentials. You can read […]
Criminal Justice (Sentencing etc) Bill As part of the Northern Ireland Assembly’s normal legislative processes, the Criminal Justice (Sentencing etc) Bill has been referred to the Committee for Justice for scrutiny. The Criminal Justice (Sentencing etc) Bill sets out to: Provide a statement of the principles and purposes of sentencing; Make provisions about sentencing guidance; Make […]
