Parenting Focus and Murphy’s Chemist

Parenting Focus is the leading charity for parenting support in Northern Ireland, with over 45 years of experience providing a wide range of family support services aimed at improving the lives of children, young people, and their parents.

Their core objective is to enhance skills, understanding, and opportunities for parents, while promoting the physical, emotional, and mental wellbeing of both parents and their children. At Parenting Focus, they prioritise prevention and early intervention, working collaboratively with parents to address challenges and improve outcomes. By fostering resilience and confidence, they enable families to build stronger relationships and create nurturing environments that help children and young people thrive.

The men’s led project along with the work of the local pharmacy partner enabled men to explore perceived obstacles in terms of their health whilst improving their wellbeing and sense of belonging to their local communities. It made a real difference in helping them identify other community provisions for men and connecting with others.

The men’s cafe has managed to open the conversation for men and allow people to talk about things, to listen and connect as human beings and to work through emotions and health related difficulties and move on.

The work with the pharmacist and project worker continues to be a respectful, slow and a trustful process that provides a place for learning and connections to each other, the men as well as other services and providers. Since attending the men’s café, many of the men have changed the outlook on their lives in a different and positive way. They looked different in terms of posture and energy, and they have made profound changes in their lives in terms of being men, strengthening their roles as fathers, friends, and active members of the community.

The project achieved its aims of providing participants with the opportunities to explore obstacles in terms of their mental and physical health.

It also succeeded in connecting them to additional support networks that helped them develop a fuller sense of community belonging, where friendships through conversation and peer support have continued to help them cope with the challenges that impact on them as individuals.

These were rare moments where I pushed myself outside of my comfort zone and took part in something that was just for me, leaving me feeling energised afterwards and grateful to have been a part of some really special moments”.

Participant/ Parenting Focus

The men’s café sessions supported talking and listening and provided opportunities to listen to the pharmacist about engaging in healthier lifestyle choices and activities. This in turn led to the development of a running & walking group, gardening and the development of a local men’s support group to help other men cope and improve their well-being.

The project successfully engaged with and invited along other community speakers to talk with the participants reinforcing social connections and allowing men to explore mental health topics in a safe, supportive and stigma-free environment. At the human library event run by the Holywell Trust, (North West Community Network) men were introduced for the very first time to personal stories which also helped broaden their understanding of other people’s own life experiences and its impact.

It was great to work with men. Women can’t get enough out of you in terms of information, but men are underrepresented in conversations about health. When I finished training, I thought I’d be doing bloods all day. It was only when I started doing this work that I realised why it’s called a Community Pharmacy. Nobody trains you in how to chat to people about their health concerns but my involvement in the project demonstrates that this is the way to do it.

Ben Harkin/ Community Pharmacist

The presence of a pharmacist in the project has also been instrumental. Traditionally, men tend to be underrepresented in healthcare conversations The involvement of the pharmacist with the project/ men has also been instrumental and gave him a whole new way of seeing how to engage in community pharmacy work.

The opportunity through the BCPP level 2 funding has given faith in the participants leading the way, to build self- confidence, share experiences and continue learning from each other. Even with the ending of funding, participants continue to engage with Parenting Focus and the Pharmacist, showing that the connections and support systems established through the Men’s Café are lasting.

By spreading awareness through social media and engaging with local GP surgeries and hubs, the project is helping to shift the narrative around men’s health. As more healthcare providers recognise the importance of these safe spaces, it is hoped that similar initiatives will continue to grow, providing men with more opportunities to engage, talk, and thrive. Through continued collaboration and a focus on fostering deeper connections, the future looks bright for men’s health and community well-being.

The Community Pharmacy Project was a new experience for the men’s project. The participant-led approach enabled the men to explore and develop new ways of working with a community pharmacist. It produced numerous benefits - many of them unanticipated - for both the pharmacist, the participants and more widely for men in the local area.

The outcomes for individual men were an increase in their focus on their mental and physical health and the actions they took to improve it. The outcome for men in the community was the development of new supportive spaces where they can connect with each other and talk and learn about their health. The support of the pharmacist enabled greater understanding of health and health improvement and a significant increase in men’s confidence in using local health facilities.

The Pharmacy project also led to clear increases in men’s health seeking behaviours and their knowledge of their own personal health, and it provided an important learning opportunity for the pharmacist to hone his skills in engaging with men about their health both individually and as a group.

The wide range of positive outcomes is a testimony to the design and impact of the Community Pharmacy Project Model.

Alison Wightman / External Evaluator

*CDHN is deeply saddened to learn that Parenting Focus is closing after 46 years of dedicated service. Their work has made a lasting impact on countless families and communities, and it’s clear that their legacy will continue to resonate long after operations cease. Their closure is yet another reminder of the challenges posed by short-term and insecure funding in our sector.