Our People
Mark Kavanagh
Programme Manager
Jo O’Donovan
Board member
Karen McDonagh
Future Options Senior Project Worker
Grainne Jennings
Director
Sara Barnes
Board Member
Peter Reilly
Board Member
Niall O’Brien
Board Member
Lucy Franks
Board Member
John Redmond
Board Member
John Shine
Board Member
Fr Shán Ó’Cuív
Board Member
Our Mission
Our Mission is to support and empower Participants to effect positive and enduring changes in their lives and of their families and communities.
We provide support for individuals in recovery from addiction and those in contact with the criminal justice system from pre-court to post prison release. We run a drug free community education programme endeavouring to create change in the community from a grassroots level. We work to tackle the unique social issues that lead to problem drug use and criminal behaviour through the provision of quality education and structured person-centred supports.
Governance
The Board of Trustees of the Matt Talbot Community Trust has overall responsibility to oversee that the governance of the organisation is in line with best practice and that operational functions meet requirements under current legislation, charitable and company law and health & safety standards.
The Matt Talbot Community Trust is a registered charity under number CHY9616.
Governance Code
The Matt Talbot Community Trust has systematic approach to ensuring compliance with the Charities Governance Code. In line with the Code, our first report on compliance will be made to the Charities Regulator in 2021 in respect of 2020.
Guidelines for Charitable Organisations on Fundraising from the Public
MTCT is fully compliant with the fundraising guidelines outlined by the Charities Regulator in September 2017.
QuADS (Quality Standards in Alcohol and Drugs Services) is a quality standards framework that was developed by Drug Scope and Alcohol Concern in the UK in 1999 and has been selected as the guiding quality standard framework for HSE Addiction Services in Ireland.
The Matt Talbot Community Trust is currently compliant with QuADS.
Child Protection Officer
The organisation also shapes its practice in accordance with Children First. Children First provides a set of sound principles and good practice guidelines for organisations that provide services to children. The named Child Protection Officer with the Matt Talbot Community Trust is Grainne Jennings.
SORP
The Matt Talbot Community Trust is compliant with SORP standards.
Annual Review
Our History
The Matt Talbot Community Trust was founded in 1986 by Sr. Caoimhín Ní Uallachaín. Sr. Caoimhín had been working with young people from Ballyfermot for a number of years. Having initially set up a self-help group to support young people who had left school early and get them off the streets, a community eventually grew with the help of an army of volunteers.
After some years, the parish priest donated some land and with support and donations from local businesses and the local community the original home of the Trust was built on the grounds of the church. This provided a space where young people could come in out of the rain for some tea or to play music.
As the community grew to accept young men, space became limited. From the original group two groups were formed, one to support young people under eighteen and the other supporting adults.
The Matt Talbot Community Trust was born, at this time, to support young men going to prison. Around this time however, the drug problem was arriving in Ballyfermot. Today, the Matt Talbot Community Trust has evolved into an organisation that supports adults involved with the criminal justice system and/or in recovery from drug addiction through the provision of education, while also supporting the Ballyfermot community at large.
Mary Kenny wrote an article for the Independent “one real-life ‘good nun’ deserves to be remembered”, 30th May 2020 about the Matt Talbot Community Trust’s founder, Sr Caoimhin