University of Limerick intervention programme improves outcomes for children in regeneration areas

UNIVERSITY of Limerick students, training to be physiotherapists, occupational therapists and speech and language therapists, will placed in primary schools. 

The innovative programme will aim to help to provide better outcomes for children and families in regeneration communities.

Health Alliances for Practice-based Professional Education and Engagement – or HAPPEE – is a UL community partnership delivering in-school interventions in physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech and language therapy.

The collaboration between UL, Limerick City and County Council, St Gabriel’s Foundation and six primary schools in Limerick places UL students training to be physiotherapists, occupational therapists and speech and language therapists directly into classrooms.

The HAPPEE project was first piloted in 2020 and 2021 at Corpus Christi Primary School and was expanded to five more schools in September 2023.

The project has already created a positive experience for the children, their families and staff in the schools during the first round of placements.

The students are supervised by fully qualified, experienced clinicians provided by St Gabriel’s and supported in their academic training by the School of Allied Health at UL.

Student placements typically last between 8-10 weeks and over the next two years, HAPPEE will provide 96 new student placements for UL students.

The UL students will work with school staff, whole classes, small groups and a small number of individual children and their families to provide therapeutic supports, which might otherwise be hard to access.

HAPPEE benefits the community by supporting the early identification of needs and providing services in communities with community support and it also creates new and sustainable student placements for the University.

The two-year pilot will service pupils from Our Lady Queen of Peace Primary School, St Mary’s Primary School, Corpus Christi Primary School, Gaelscoil Sheoirse Clancy, Le Chéile and Our Lady of Lourdes Primary School.