Craigavon Travellers Support Committee

30/10/2026

CTSC continue our campaign to increase the number and improve conditions on Traveller sites provided by NIHE. Northern Ireland Housing Executive hold the statutory duty to provide sites for Irish Travellers. There are only 4 sites left in the North! The conditions forced upon Travellers who want to live their traditional way of live fall far below the legal standards required. The Design Guide standards which have a statutory basis were introduced in 2013 - 75 per cent of sites have never been upgraded to comply with them. People must remember that Travellers who live on sites are NIHE tenants and they have the same right to adequate accommodation as any other NIHE tenant.

The nomadic life of Irish Travellers is "at risk" in Northern Ireland with members of the community feeling pressured to move into "bricks and mortar" housing, a support group has said.

Read more here: https://bbc.in/4BAJWKW

29/10/2026

Good news, may this be the start of a full ban on va**ng. It was meant as a tool to help stop smoking and has overtaken it. The long term dangers remain unknown. We must protect our children.

🚨 New protections for children and young people.

🗓️ From today, it is illegal in Northern Ireland to sell va**ng or ni****ne products, including non-ni****ne vapes, to anyone under 18.

👮 Buying these products on behalf of someone underage is also now against the law.

🚭 The sale of cigarette papers, vapes and other ni****ne products from vending machines, and free distribution or discounting of vapes and ni****ne products is also now banned.

29/10/2026

Much deserved congratulations to you both.

Many congratulations to 🎓 Pavee Point Co-Director, Lynsey Kavanagh, 🎓 Pavee Point Chair, Ann Friel & 🎓 Traveller Brighter Beginnings Coordinator, Éadaoin Fagan, who all graduate today from Maynooth University with their Masters degrees!

Well deserved and well done to all! 👏🎉

29/10/2026

If we are serious about improving outcomes for Irish Traveller children and young people, we should be prepared to learn from approaches that are already making a difference elsewhere.

One example is the Yellow Flag Programme, which supports schools to promote inclusion, celebrate diversity and create environments where all children feel respected, valued and able to succeed.

Initiatives like this demonstrate how education can play a powerful role in tackling prejudice, strengthening belonging and improving opportunities for minority ethnic communities.

At CTSC, we believe there is real value in exploring best practice from other jurisdictions and considering how successful models could help create more inclusive educational experiences for Traveller children and young people in Northern Ireland.

💛 Every child deserves to see their culture recognised, respected and celebrated.

We would like to congratulate Hansfield Educate Together Secondary School in Dublin 15, on being one of the five post-primary schools who received the Yellow Flag award this year. The Yellow Flag status is achieved in recognition of intercultural, anti-racism policy and activities in the school.

Hansfield's Educate Togethers 770 students now join with approximately 60,000 students, about 5,500 teachers and 146 schools who have engaged with the Yellow Flag programme.

💛✨🎉✨🫱🏽‍

Hansfield Educate Together Secondary SchoolHansfield Educate Together Secondary SchoolHansfield Educate Together Secondary School
St. Marys Secondary School, Ballina
Piper’s Hill College

29/10/2026

Having fun at the Halloween party ❤️

29/10/2026

We all had fun decorating our windows for the Halloween party

29/10/2026

Pumpkin designing at homework club

29/10/2026

This week we requested a second extension to the consultation period on the NIHE’s Draft Traveller Accommodation Strategy until they can clarify their legal obligations in regards to their statutory duty to assess the need for Traveller Accommodation. Legislation and Planning policy require that accommodation need is assessed on an annual basis for 13 different categories of housing. Traveller accommodation is on the list but it has only been assessed 3 times in 23 years. It is the only category that has been omitted from the annual process. That equates to 20 years of failure to assess what Traveller accommodation is needed in the North. We have waited 4 weeks for a response to our email and when prompted this week, NIHE advised that they needed to consult with a number of internal departments and they could not specify a timeframe. How can we respond appropriately to a consultation on Traveller Accommodation, when the authors of said strategy cannot confirm what they are asking us to consult on. The assessment of Traveller accommodation need is their primary objective.

Who decided to remove Travellers from the annual needs assessment process and what was their motivation?

Discrimination is the most rational conclusion!

29/10/2026

29/10/2026

Our disappointment and frustration with NIHE's Draft Traveller Accommodation Strategy are shared across the sector. The response from the Equality Commission pulls no punches! An excellent response! Now we need NIHE to take heed.

Their Recommendations:

* Provide further detail on the evaluation of the previous Strategy, including lessons learned.
* Ensure consultation is accessible and meaningfully engages Travellers.
* Revise the equality screening and publish it on the consultation page, in line with the Housing Executive’s equality scheme commitments.
* Begin the Enhanced Traveller Accommodation Needs Assessment immediately following internal approval, with a clear timetable for completion and an explanation of how findings will inform annual housing needs assessment, site identification and future provision.
* Include measurable targets, timescales and resource commitments for culturally appropriate accommodation in the Strategic Development Plan.
* Engage meaningfully with Travellers throughout implementation and ensure the Strategy meets their accommodation needs.
* Set out clear mechanisms to monitor the Strategy’s impact.

We have published our response to the Draft Irish Traveller Accommodation Strategy 2026-2031, calling for clear commitments, measurable targets and adequate resources to improve accommodation for Irish Travellers.

Chris Jenkins highlights our recommendations in his latest blog - https://equalityni.org/our-work/news/reversing-the-decline-in-traveller-accommodation