Katherine Harford
Executive Director
Katherine Harford began as Programme Manager when YK was formally established in 2015. From 2012 she led an interagency partnership in the development of the Programme. So she has seen it grow from an idea to a reality! From 2008 to 2015 she was Manager of NICHE CLG, overseeing innovative community health programmes. She has previously worked in homeless services and in community development. She has a background in Social and Political Science, Community Development and Organisational Management. She is a founding member and former Chairperson of Cork Healthy Cities, and participates in a number of local, city and national networking and policy forums on issues of children’s development, social inclusion, equality and health. She lives in Cork City with her growing family!
Grace Walsh
Speech, Language and Early Years Coordinator (Senior Speech and Language Therapist)
Grace graduated from University College Cork with a BSc Hons in Speech and Language Therapy in 2009. Since then she has gained clinical experience in a variety of paediatric settings. Grace joined Young Knocknaheeny when it was established in 2015, and was seconded from her position as Senior Speech & Language Therapist (SLT) with HSE Child & Adolescent Mental Health Service until December 2019. Grace is passionate about developing the role of SLT in universal, prevention and promotion services to provide accessible information to all parents about how best to support their baby’s communication in the context of their relationship, ensuring a relational approach to meet families where they are at.
Jennifer Harte
Speech and Language Therapist
Jennifer graduated with a BSc. Hons Degree in Speech and Language Therapy in 2010 at UCC. Since, Jennifer has worked in a variety of areas, including with adolescents and young adults in an education centre, the National Adult Literacy Agency (NALA), CAMHS and a Child Development Service in New Zealand. Jennifer also spent 6 years working as a researcher in UCC, working with children with speech and language disorders and children with spina bifida. Jennifer joined Let’s Grow Together in 2021 to help provide a community service that promotes communication skills in infants and young children and the importance of parent-child interactions. Jennifer appreciates the value of research and using an evidence-based approach when working with families.
Clíona Twohig
Infant and Family Project Worker
Clíona graduated from Mary Immaculate College, Limerick with a B.A (Hons) in Early Childhood Care & Education. Since graduating Clíona has worked in community based Early Years and Family Support services while continuing professional development in areas such as trauma, empowering families and children, child and youth participation and restorative practice. Cliona believes that through working with the whole family unit, better outcomes for the child will be achieved. She believes that empowering and supporting caregivers using a strengths-based approach is key to forming strong relationships and breaking the cycle of trauma and poverty. Clíona is currently pursuing a Masters in Trauma Studies with University College Cork and hopes to use the knowledge and skills gained to make a positive impact on the well-being of families and children at a community level.
Tracie Lane
Infant and Family Project Worker
Tracie has over 10 years’ experience of working in community development, health and early intervention projects in Cork city. Tracie is committed to ensuring that she is providing evidence based interventions through attending trainings, workshops and staying up to date with research. Tracie feels strongly about developing caregiver’s understanding of their child’s social and emotional development and how caregivers can use their relationship to support their child’s development. Tracie believes in empowering caregivers to recognise what they already do, and support them build on their own potential and strengths.
Katherine Manley
Infant and Family Project Worker
Katherine graduated with a B.A (Hons) in Early years and childhood studies from UCC, working in the early years sector before returning to UCC to complete a MSC in Social Policy. Katherine went on to work in a community based Early Intervention centre continuing her professional development in trauma informed care, creative mindfulness and providing practical support to families within the community. Katherine has always been interested in a child’s social and emotional development and the importance of relationships in the Early Years. Katherine is both passionate and committed to the delivery of a high-quality service to the children and families she works with through prevention and early intervention strategies and a strengths-based approach.
Suzanne Rigby
Infant and Family Project Worker
Suzanne graduated from Waterford Institute of Technology with a B.A. (Hons) in Applied Social Studies in Social Care. Since graduating Suzanne has worked in a range of social care settings; working with children in care, domestic violence support services and in family support. She has a keen interest in offering prevention and early intervention strategies to families, infants and children to support them to break intergenerational cycles of trauma and poverty and to support child development. Suzanne works at the project full time.
Marian Clifford Cronin
Public Health Nurse (Child Health)
Marian Clifford Cronin (RGN RM RPHN) has worked as a Public Health Nurse in North Lee since 2001, specialising as a Schools PHN since 2010. Marian joined LGT in 2021 in the role of Public Health Nurse- Child Health (PHN-CH) and brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in Child Health. Marian believes passionately in supporting and strengthening the parent-child relationship, and to improve their children’s developmental outcomes. Marian works closely with her PHN, Nursing and Midwifery Colleagues, the wider Multidisciplinary team and Stakeholders. Marian will act as a mechanism for effective relationships and processes between them, and together with her LGT colleagues, aims to improve the overall health and wellbeing of the children and their families in the community, encompassing our ethos that ‘No Child is Left behind’.
Trish Hurley
Infant Mental Health and Wellbeing Coordinator
Trish holds a BSC Nursing and a Master’s in Health Promotion from UCC. She worked in the acute hospital in the early stage of her career but gravitated over time to an early intervention and prevention model of care that encompasses the “whole person” or the Bio/psycho/social model of health. Trish has spent many years supporting caregivers and children in the community through home visiting. Meeting families in their own setting has always been one of the most enjoyable and valuable parts of her work. Trish in collaboration with the Interdisciplinary team, is responsible for integrating IMH principles, and mindset into all the Let’s Grow Together practices and supports. She hopes to build a strong relationship focused way of working within the team, so they can extend that sense of being held and listened to out to the families that they work with in the community. Trish is very interested in the integration of IMH knowledge and practice from the pregnancy stage, through to the early years of a child’s life. This stage is a prime time to nurture children’s social emotional development and a key transition point for the parents and professionals who support them, to become attuned and responsive caregivers. To relax, Trish practices and teaches yoga and gets out into nature to recharge.
Kathleen Gildea
Early Years Mentor
Kathleen is the Early Years Mentor at Let’s Grow Together! She holds Master of Arts in Leadership and Advocacy in the Early Years and a Bachelor of Science (Honours) degree in Early Childhood Care, Health and Education. Kathleen has been fortunate to work with babies, young children and school age children in various settings in Ireland, Norway, New Zealand and Australia. Her worldwide experience has broadened her vision of quality and is something she supports other Early Years Professionals to explore in the Northwest area of Cork City. She works in collaboration with organisations, management and Early Years Professionals to deliver high quality, inclusive Early Childhood Care and Education for children and families.
Arhonda Lynch
Schools Community Support Worker
Arhonda has a background in Early Years Settings, Family and Community Work, as well as in Homeless Services. Arhonda has studied Early Childhood Care and Education and continued her studies in International Development and Human Rights at University College Cork where she subsequently completed an MA in Women’s Studies. Arhonda is currently a PhD Candidate in UCC's School of Applied Social Studies and was awarded a full scholarship. As Schools Community Support Worker, Arhonda is passionate about parent and caregiver participation within their child's education and the strengthening of relationships with and between parents, caregivers and educators.
Jessie Shea
Information & Reporting Officer
Jessie has an MSc in Neuroscience, and her research focus was on secondary symptoms and improving quality of life after a spinal cord injury. Jessie then worked at a paediatric rehabilitation centre in Canada, where she coordinated the research programme. She taught clinicians how to do research and programme evaluations, and her overarching goals were focusing on quality improvement and ensuring child and family-centred care. Jessie also has a Higher Diploma in Social Policy from UCC. She is responsible for overseeing the research, monitoring, evaluation, and reporting activities at Let’s Grow Together! This includes: coordinating the Research Advisory Group and promoting research; working with other Area Based Childhood Programmes to monitor family outcomes; and reporting on our programmes, activities, and outcomes. Jessie aims to ensure best evidence is used to guide our programmes and services, and that our families receive the best possible experiences with us.
