Entries by WRDA Communications

Department of Health Replies to Our Urgent Request for an Update on the Delivery of Perinatal Mental Health Services for Northern Ireland

We received a reply to our request stating that mental health was one of Minister Swann’s top priorities. Whilst the reply noted that the need for mental health services would increase due to the pandemic, the work on the Mental Health Action Plan has been suspended due to the pandemic. This means work on delivery […]

May 19, 2020 by

Department for Communities Emergency Leadership Group Update

The Women’s Sector Lobbyist has been added to the Department for Communities Emergency Leadership Group and has now attended two meetings representing the women’s sector. In the first meeting held on Thursday 30thApril, updates were given on COVID-19 and the impact on women alongside plans to work on a feminist recovery plan. At the second […]

May 18, 2020 by

Covid-19 Lobbying Update

WRDA is a member of the Women’s Policy Group (WPG) and hosts the Women’s Sector Lobbyist, Rachel Powell who campaigns on behalf of the whole sector. As such we have been at the forefront of lobbying on ways to reduce the impact of Covid-19 on women. A statement from the WPG on the gendered impact […]

April 27, 2020 by

Briefing on Domestic Violence and Abuse – COVID-19 and Legislative Reforms

Introduction: The Women’s Resource and Development Agency welcomes the proposed legislative changes regarding domestic abuse and violence both within the Northern Ireland Assembly and in Westminster Parliament. Activists, women’s organisations and support providers have spent many years calling for adequate domestic abuse legislation in Northern Ireland. In the current global pandemic, domestic abuse and violence […]

April 27, 2020 by

The Public Health Agency (PHA) is highlighting how important it is for people to look after their wellbeing as they stay at home to help stop the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19).

Professor Hugo van Woerden, Director of Public Health and Medical Director at the PHA, said: “Coronavirus, and the impact it is having on our normal way of life, is understandably going to affect people’s emotional and physical wellbeing – concern about the virus and illness it may cause and the effects of staying at home […]

April 24, 2020 by

Covid-19 WRDA Update

WRDA Covid-19 contingency planning commenced early March as uncertainty and panic levels were beginning to escalate. Yet despite the cancellation of some BC&B sessions, workshops and training programmes the majority of targets set for 2019/20 have been met and in some areas targets have been exceeded. Some areas of work e.g. lobbying & policy have […]

April 23, 2020 by

Police Powers to Enforce Social Distancing Already Being Abused

The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2020 were introduced by the Northern Ireland Executive on 28th March, 2020. The purpose of this legislation is to allow the PSNI to enforce social distancing but instances of police abuse have already occurred. The police claim that ‘Where our officers encounter people outside who do not appear […]

April 21, 2020 by

The impact of COVID-19 on Women

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has created an unprecedented challenge across society worldwide, and Northern Ireland is no different. The current crisis affects men and women differently, and in many cases deepens the inequalities women experience on an everyday basis. While medical evidence shows that men who are diagnosed with the virus are more likely to […]

April 3, 2020 by