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Meet The team
James O'Mahony
Health Support Worker
Email:
jamesomahony@kyss.ie
Tel 085 8552638
Karen O Sullivan
Family Support Worker
Email :
karenosullivan@kyss.ie
Tel 085 198 2082
Meet The team
Ger Rice join the KYSS team in 2011, as a student on placement from the Youth and Community Development course in UCC. From there he has filled many roles within the organisations, 2014 Vice Chairperson, 2017 Health Support Worker and as of 2024 Ger received a well earn promotions to become operations manager.
His current role sees him engaging in regular meetings, for the team and case management. On a daily basis, there are also operational elements such as, planning, staff management, and providing line management supervision to staff.
A part as a team Ger meets young people, their families, and adults to offer a range of support to improve their mental health. He would also work closely with HSE, Tusla, GP, community organisations, schools, sports club, youth groups, physiotherapist, and many more to provide additional support to clients.
2017 Ger became the Health Worker, with KYSS having access to 3 counsellors, Ger went about and networked to build up the support structure for young people and adults. Currently KYSS has access to over 30 counsellors.
Ger can often be heard saying “not everyone needs counselling” with this said, KYSS has now established a rapport with all the community stakeholder in Kinsale and district to provide a community participation program for clients to avail of.
In 2019 Ger established KYSS first primary world mental health event. Where over 500 young people aged between 11-13 attend World Mental Health Day to learn about what is in their community and the importance of looking after your own mental health.
Ger works in collaboration with Tulsa since 2004 in his role as a foster carer. He has also worked in Youth Justice Programs and Residential care for young people. He is also a qualified life coach and mentor and brings all these skills sets to the forefront in supporting clients.
He is the child welfare officer of Kinsale AFC and a founder member of Kinsale Youth and Community Centre which provide many positive programs for young people aged 11 to 17.
He enjoys spending time with family and friends and can often be seen on the side of a soccer pitch or paddling away in the sea.
James O Mahony is a founder member of KYSS, were he used his community involvement to form the organisation.
In 2009 James as a Garda Juvenile liaison officers for west cork did a survey of 100 young people aged between 14 and 18 years of age that were referred to him by Gardaí. For the research it was established that 78 out of 100 referred were due to mental health difficulty. As a result, James got together 20 community people of all backgrounds and brainstorms of ways to help young people.
2010 James became Chairperson of KYSS for the next 10 years on a voluntary based. In 2021 became the operations manager of KYSS until 2024, where Ger Rice procced to take over the role.
James now works 3 days per week, seeing clients on a one-to-one bases, doing school talks both primary and secondary and community talks.
James spent 40 years in An Gardai Siochana, 26 of those working as a juvenile liaison officer for west cork. In 1995 he started the youth awards for west cork, in 2018 these awards became national for young people aged from 13 to 21.
James is currently chairperson of Belgooly Primary School board. He sits on the committee of Bandon family resource centre and well as Matt Tablo centre.
James brings to KYSS a wealth of experience, he is also a qualified life coach and mediator and likes working with people of all ages.
James likes walking and running. He is a founder member of Riverstick/Kinsale Athletic club, where he coached young people for many years.
Karen OSullivan is the newest member to our team, commencing her role as family support worker in October of 2024. Karen brings a wealth of experience to the team and has spent many years working closely with young people and families within the Bandon district. Karen completed her degree in UCC in 2020, where she studied Youth and Community Development. Karen is also in the middle of completing her certificate in Life Coaching and Mentoring.
Karen in 2016 was a founding member of Autism West Cork. She formed the group to provide a service delivering support and activities, for children with Autism and their families in the West Cork district. Karen’s vison was to advocate for parents negating the system to provide the best possible outcomes for the families within the group.
In 2017 Karen worked in The Cork Life Centre. Karen’s role was to provide education to young people aged 12-18 years who find themselves outside the mainstream education system. Her focus was to support the young people in the Centre to achieve their Junior Certificate and Leaving Certificate, as well as gain essential life skills and confidence through 1 to 1 teaching and a holistic approach to the students’ education and wellbeing.
2016 Karen was Chairperson of the board of management of The Bandon family Centre. Karen chaired a team of professionals whose main objective is to work within the local community in Bandon and the surrounding area to promote the wellbeing of children and families. Karens team worked tirelessly with children, individuals and families who find themselves in vulnerable situations.
In 2022 Karen set up the Bandon Youth Group, after identifying a need within the community. The group was designed in collaboration with the young people to create a safe, non-judgmental, enjoyable place for young people to hang out, meet new friends, get involved in activities and have a voice. Before leaving the group, Karen was proud to present The Wonky Tea Party Fashion Show to show case the talent and enthusiasm of the young people in Bandon, this included a mixture of dance, fashion, music, and comedy in a high-octane two-hour performance. A big element of the show was the diversity of disciplines - contemporary jazz dance, hip-hop, ballet-meets-gymnastics, and a live band playing every genre from David Bowie and Nirvana to Christmas songs. The showcase included solo performances, group acts, and stand-up comedy from members of the youth group.
2020 Karen accepted the position of family support worker for Bandon family Centre. Karen key role was to meet with a child / adult and actively listen without judgement. Her focus was on helping people to navigate their way through their difficulty. Support can be as informal as a cup of tea and a chat, or it may involve a multi-agency approach with an inter-agency collaboration. Karen role as the Family Support Worker is to help families and individuals in creating positive social networks and encouraging personal growth and development. Karen is now transferring her skills to the KYSS team and supporting children and families with the Kinsale District.
Karen enjoys, reading, walking, and swimming.
Geraldine Machin As the KYSS Company Secretary and Administrator since 2014 I have had the privilege of contributing to the growth and organizational success through effective management and governance of Kinsale Your Support Service. With a strong background in senior administrative roles across various sectors, including Social Welfare in the UK, Education Psychology Services Kensington & Chelsea, and the pharmaceutical industry. I bring a wealth of experience in handling complex administrative tasks.
I am qualified in Lean Six Sigma, which enables me to streamline the process, improve administrative efficiency and drive continuous improvement initiatives within the organization. Additionally, my Law Society of Ireland Certification in Charity Law, Trusteeship and Governance equipped me with the skills to ensure that KYSS operates in compliance with all regulatory frameworks while also fostering transparency and ethical management.
My diverse experience across industries has given me a unique perspective on leadership and administrative excellence, and I remain committed to maintaining the high standards that define Kinsale Your Support Service.
Our Area
Kinsale Youth Support Services (KYSS) are a group of local people who have come together to help and support young people and promote positive mental health in our community.
KYSS volunteers have a great spread of expertise ranging from local doctors, gardai, social & community workers, counsellors, clinical managers, teachers, press and media and administrators, to name just a few.
Mission Statement
KYSS’ mission
is to empower our communities to promote good mental health through raising awareness, providing informal education, and tailored support to individuals and families.
KYSS’ vision
is of a community that has an open positive approach to mental health, where everyone feels supported and enabled to reach their full potential.
KYSS Core Values are:
1. Trust (KYSS is trusted in community to deliver a quality service and wants to uphold this)
2. Support (Community gets the support they need, KYSS team support each other and community supports KYSS through ongoing fundraising)
3. Confidentiality (for service users and among team re clients)
4. Empathy/Kindness (for community and for each other)
5. Respect (for everyone’s values, opinions and difference)
6. Community (from the community, for the community)
7. Accessible and Approachable (KYSS’ service is approachable and accessible in terms of being easily contactable with short waiting times to be seen)
8. Accountability, Quality and Professionalism (maintained by staff, volunteers and board of management at all times)
Charitable Purpose
The main object for which Kisale Your Support Services is established (the “Main Object”) is to benefit the community of Kinsale and surrounding area by promoting positive mental health for the people in our community and to contribute to the reduction of incidents of suicide. This will be achieved through the provision of support mechanisms, such as educational awareness programmes that will create awareness of mental health issues in the community and inform those in need that support and help is available through Kinsale Your Support Services.
Histoy
Background to KYSS
KYSS was formed in 2010, in response to the need to provide support and services to young people and their families in Kinsale and the surrounding areas. A voluntary led organisation comprising of representatives from the community including JLO, Garda, GP’s, teachers, counsellors, HSE, community/voluntary sector, local business people and most importantly young people from the area. It provides support to a population in excess of 10,000 households with the emphasis on the health and well-being of the young person and their families.
Initially, the group examined the challenges facing young people in particular drugs, alcohol and mental health. From lengthy discussion on the above topics, it was decided that the first approach would be Awareness. It was felt that if we as an organization were able to generate Awareness around the issues facing Young People and members of our community, then we could provide them with the information and support to face these challenges.
Service provisions & priorities.
It is providing additional needs to young people and families through its service as well as low cost counselling, preventative and awareness events, Mise booklet and APP etc.
It is providing supports to young people and families in need through the school and community which is allowing them to participate better in active learning.
Provision of supports and wider access to community services giving young people stability and the knowledge that support is available when required.
The service is provided free and is accessible to all in the community regardless of economic circumstances. This ensures that people wanting to access the service are secure in knowing that it will not be an additional economic burden on the home.
This is a whole community response to the needs of young people and their families. This network involves all the key service providers from the public, private and voluntary sectors with the focus on building a team around the child and family to meet their additional needs. It contributes to healthier lifestyles, positive mental health, positive relationships, developing self-confidence and successfully deal with challenges and transitions in young peoples lives, engage in law-abiding behaviour, achieve personal social development and know there is a positive network on hand to support them in times of need.
In terms of the area based approach KYSS is a collaborative network which provides integrated services to children and families in the catchment area, it is well integrated with the statutory services including Primary Care team and local GP’S and it provides supports if required to the frontline. It is a holistic health and well-being project led by the voluntary sector supporting the most vulnerable children and families.
KYSS is a limited company and an Irish Registered Charity, It is governed by a Board of Directors and a Management Committee which meets monthly. It has a number of sub groups who have responsibility for key areas of development.
KYSS is compliant with the Code of Good Governance as set out by the Irish Charities Regulatory
Audited Accounts, Annual Reports, are presented at the A.G.M.
Twenty people providing an average of half a day per week, which equates to 500-person days per annum.
Additional Information
The key to the success of KYSS to date, has been the capacity and willingness of all players public, private and voluntary to develop a structure and work collaboratively using all available resources to support children and families at community level. It is led by the voluntary sector and operates very professionally in terms of governance, service provision etc.
As a group we are not selfish. We believe this model works and an opportunity exists for it to be rolled out in many other communities in Ireland. However, we must keep our focus local. We must continue to provide supports and services collaboratively at a community level to improve the outcomes for children and families.
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