News: Positive Futures gets ready for growth in Bangor
We have announced that we are splitting our existing East Coast Supported Living Service into two Supported Living services in Bangor: Castle Supported Living and Marina Supported Living.
The expansion marks a significant milestone for our organisation, in the city where we opened our very first Supported Living service 30 years ago. As demand for our support continues to grow, Positive Futures is restructuring its existing service into 2 Services to ensure it continues to offer the highest level of person‑centred support while creating capacity to welcome more people.
Lindsay Blaney, 10 Years with the East Coast Service, will be Service Manager for the Castle Service and Positive Futures is continuing its strong tradition of growing talent from within by promoting Thomas McCrory, currently Deputy Service Manager for Positive Futures in Belfast, to Service Manager for the Marina Service.
“We’re growing in Bangor! It feels incredibly special to return to the place where our Supported Living journey began three decades ago,” Donna Johnston, Positive Futures NI Operations director said. “By creating two dedicated services — Castle Supported Living and Marina Supported Living — we’re ensuring our support remains personal, connected and focused on what matters most: empowering each person to live the life they choose.”
We are the third largest employer in the borough, and the growth of the services will bring new job opportunities to the Bangor area as the we expands our team.
News: Dr Agnes Lunny OBE, Founder and Chief Executive of Positive Futures, to retire after over 30 years of dedicated service
Positive Futures, the all-Ireland charity supporting those with a learning disability, acquired brain injury and autism, today announces that Dr Agnes Lunny OBE, Founder and Chief Executive, will retire at the end of this year, following 30 plus years of dedicated service. Agnes will remain in post until a successor is appointed as part of a planned, Board-led transition, ensuring continuity and a smooth handover.
Over three decades, Agnes has shaped a highly respected, values-led and robust organisation. Her vision in establishing Positive Futures in 1995 helped shift learning/intellectual disability and social care practice away from institutional models and towards person-centred, rights based, community support, a journey described in her 30year anniversary reflections.
During her tenure, Positive Futures has grown from a small team of around 20 staff to more than 750 staff. Positive Futures established its first service in Bangor, County Down and now has services across all of the Health and Social Care Trusts in Northern Ireland, as well as in five health regions in the Republic of Ireland, supporting people with a learning / intellectual disability, acquired brain injury and autism – and their families – to live the lives they want.
In due course, it is anticipated that Agnes will continue to contribute to the organisation in an advisory capacity.
Reflecting on her career, Agnes Lunny said:
“From the beginning, Positive Futures has been about supporting people with a learning / intellectual disability, acquired brain injury and autism to live ordinary, meaningful lives – lives built on choice, control and belonging. It has been my privilege to work alongside families, colleagues, commissioners and partners to make this possible. While I am stepping back from the Chief Executive role, my commitment to championing a person-centred approach for people in need of support and their families will remain. Additionally, I remain committed to doing all I can before I retire to ensure that social care staff in the voluntary sector receive the recognition they deserve by ensuring that they are paid at least the Real Living Wage.”
Positive Futures will continue to develop and deliver high quality support grounded in a human rights and person-centred approach, building on the values that have defined Agnes’s leadership. The organisation will also maintain and strengthen relationships with Health and Social Care Trust and HSE leaders, government and other statutory partners, which have been central to its work throughout her tenure.
Recruitment of a new Chief Executive
The Board has begun the process of recruiting a new Chief Executive. This appointment will be values-led, strategic, and focused on continuity, sustainability, quality and continuous improvement.
Joint Statement from the Boards of Trustees:
“This is a planned, Board-led transition, with Agnes remaining in post until the end of this year to ensure continuity and a smooth handover. We are excited to launch the process with an executive search firm to support us, to appoint a leader who will build on the strong foundation Agnes has laid over more than 30 years.”
News: Positive Futures takes part in Northern Ireland’s only dedicated charity careers and volunteer job fair.
Now in its third year since launching in 2024, the fair has established itself as a key date in the third sector calendar and remains the only event of its kind anywhere in the UK and Ireland.
This free to attend event provides the perfect opportunity for potential employees to meet Positive Futures staff, explore current vacancies and understand how roles make a difference to the lives of people we support. Potential employees can also discover what a fulfilling, life longlifelong career in social care would look like.
At the event we will be showcasing services that support both children and adults with a learning disability, acquired brain injury, or autism.
Chris Perry, Positive Futures HR Director commented, ‘The strength of the person-centred service we deliver is dependent on having staff who embrace our values and approach. That’s why we are delighted to attend the Charity Careers & Volunteer Jobs Fair, so that we can talk to potential employees not just about the vacancies we have, but about how becoming part of the Positive Futures ‘Family’ can lead to a rewarding and fulfilling career.’
Northern Ireland’s only dedicated recruitment and volunteering event for the third sector takes place at the Assembly Building Conference Centre, Belfast on Tuesday 24 March 2026, from 10am to 2pm.
News: Agnes Lunny responds to another delay in Muckamore Abbey Inquiry report.
Dr. Agnes Lunny OBE, Chief Executive of Positive Futures, has spoken of the deep disappointment and distress caused by further delays to the long-awaited inquiry report:
“Families affected by the events at Muckamore Abbey Hospital deserve clarity, accountability and the opportunity to move forward.”
“This is a difficult and sad time for families. They need a sense of closure and of justice. They had been expecting the report at the end of last year and then in March this year and now must deal with further delay.
“Each postponement compounds the trauma for families, who continue to relive what happened at Muckamore and during the inquiry process. It has been going on for far too long.
“At Positive Futures, we stand alongside families in calling for the timely publication of the report and its long-awaited recommendations. This is essential, not only for a sense of justice for those affected, but to ensure lessons are learned and real change is delivered.”
News: Positive Futures and Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful Launch First-of-Its-Kind Climate Training in Northern Ireland for People with a Learning Disability
PRESS RELEASE
28 January 2026
Positive Futures and Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful Launch First-of-Its-Kind Climate Training in Northern Ireland for People with a Learning Disability
Positive Futures and Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful today announce, “Caring for our World”, a partnership delivering free, accessible climate training to organisations supporting people with a learning disability. The training takes a two-step approach, first educating and certifying staff who, once trained, then use the flexible resources provided to educate and certify the people with a learning disability they support, empowering them to take meaningful climate action.
This is the first climate change programme for people with a learning disability to be developed in Northern Ireland. The resources are flexible and inclusive and can be easily adapted to deliver full workshops or one-to-one sessions for those with complex needs.
This project is funded through the carrier bag levy by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA), supporting climate education and sustainability initiatives across Northern Ireland.
DAERA Minister Andrew Muir MLA said, “I want to congratulate everyone involved today from Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful and Positive Futures who have worked together to develop these important training resources. I’m delighted that though the Carrier Bag Levy, my Department has been able to support the development of Caring for our World. We know that when climate information is made clear, engaging, relevant and accessible it empowers everyone to participate fully in both the conversation and with positive action. These resources will help to ensure that people with additional learning needs also have the tools to help bring about meaningful climate action in their communities.”
Eric Randall, Chief Executive, Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful:
“We are delighted to partner with Positive Futures in delivering this truly groundbreaking approach to climate training. Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful has always promoted climate action to as many groups as possible and, more importantly, removing the barriers that some parts of our community might face in accessing this vital information. Caring for our World will ensure that climate action resources are accessible to all in our society. There should be no barriers for those who want to take positive steps to combat the climate emergency”
Dr Agnes Lunny, Chief Executive, Positive Futures: “As part of our Positive Green strategy for our organisation, we have been educating our staff on sustainability issues, particularly climate. We wanted this training to be inclusive of the people we support and the wider learning disabilities community. Caring for our World empowers staff and people with learning disabilities to take meaningful climate action with confidence. Importantly, it gives people context and rationale for their actions – many of which they may already be doing without realising just how impactful small, everyday behaviours can be in countering climate change.
Patrick McKinney is supported by Positive Futures and one of the first to complete the training: “I like to help the planet; I recycle and save energy. I know a make a difference.’
Positive Futures has successfully piloted the training. Other organisations including Mainstay DRP; Camphill Community Glencraig; The Cedar Foundation; and NOW Group are set to follow in early 2026. Organisations can register now by visiting https://bit.ly/Caring_for_our_World
ENDS
Notes to Editors
For more information, please get in touch with Claire Irwin at claire.irwin@keepnorthernirelandbeautiful.org or Jayne Adair jayne.adair@positive-futures.net
About Positive Futures
Positive Futures is a charity which supports people of all ages with a learning disability, acquired brain injury or autism (Charity registration number NIC101385). Positive Futures provides a range of Supported Living, SharedLives, Shortbreaks and Family Support Services across the island of Ireland. More information can be found at positive-futures.net
About Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful
Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful is a charity working towards the vision of a world where people and nature thrive, by running environmental-education programmes and awareness-raising campaigns, increasing volunteering opportunities and reporting on local environmental quality. Programmes include the national civic-pride campaign Live Here Love Here, Carbon Literacy training, and local environmental quality programmes, such as Eco-Schools NI, Blue Flag Award, Seaside Award,
Green Flag Award, Cleaner Neighbourhoods and Marine Litter surveys. For more information, visit www.keepnorthernirelandbeautiful.org
About Caring For Our World
The Caring for Our World package includes the following elements:
· Step 1: Your staff complete Carbon Literacy training – delivered by Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful.
· Step 2: Your staff attend a short online Caring for our World workshop to learn how best the resource can be used with the people you support. You will then be given full access to the training materials.
· Step 3: Your staff plan and deliver the programme in a format that meets the group or individual needs of the people you support.
· Step 4: Your staff and the people they support submit brief evidence of the learning and people with a learning disability receive their ‘Caring For Our World’ certificate.
News: NI: Department of Health backtrack on funding to enable social care to become a Real Living Wage employer
DATE 17 November 2025
Mike Nesbitt, Minister of Health, NI announced this week that he would be breaking his previous commitment to provide sufficient funding for the Social Care sector to pay care workers the Real Living Wage.
Commenting on the announcement, our Chief Executive, Dr Agnes Lunny (OBE) said “This decision undermines trust and morale across the social care workforce. Our staff deserve recognition for their vital role, not broken promises.”
Positive Futures is a member of the Association for Real Change (ARC), a body representing the care sector providers, which has 59 members and was heavily involved in the co-ordinated response to Minister Nesbitt.
ARC has expressed their severe disappointment with this decision impacting significantly the community and voluntary and private sector providers and demanded the minister rethink this decision.
I refer to the recent communication confirming your decision to postpone funding that would enable the social care sector to become a Real Living Wage employer.
Breaking the commitment outlined in the Reset Plan (June 2025) and prioritising statutory sector pay is extremely short-sighted and detrimental to a workforce already under significant strain. Expressing our disappointment does not go far enough.
Restoring pay parity for health service staff at the expense of this pledge has left independent, community and voluntary providers (non-statutory employers), facing difficult conversations with dedicated staff who were expecting the increase from September, based on departmental assurances and public messaging. Without pay equity, non-statutory social care providers cannot compete for talent, particularly in the post-COVID environment.
There are 41,825 social care workers in Northern Ireland according to the NISCC register; of whom 32,519 are employed in the independent, community and voluntary sector – hence directly impacted by this decision. This sector is vital to the health service ecosystem in Northern Ireland and yet attracting or retaining skilled staff is increasingly challenging without a Real Living Wage – it is the elephant in the room.
ARC NI represents 59 service providers of social care; the services they offer are diverse and critical to allow individuals to lead a full and meaningful life.
Your decision does not just affect homecare workers or the “winter pressures”. These are important; however, the demand is much broader than that. For example, the second-largest group of social care workers (14.34%) are employed in services for adults with a learning disability spanning several service areas, including long term support (1).
For over a decade ARC NI has provided evidence and highlighted workforce pressures experienced by the learning disability community, recently reinforced by research from the Fair Work Forum. This evidence speaks for itself, and I see no merit in re-stating this.
ARC NI has been an active partner, since inception, of the Social Care Collaborative Reform Board (as now known), the Social Care Fair Work Forum and indeed the Learning Disability Model reform. However, this decision significantly undermines trust at a time when stability, reform and cross-sector delivery is required.
All stakeholders acknowledge the critical interdependencies between primary, secondary and social care and yet the central role of the independent, community and voluntary sector continues to be undervalued.
Transparency on next steps is essential. Prioritising statutory pay has damaged relationships, sector morale and raised long standing questions around sustainability of the social care sector, delivered by independent, community and voluntary sector.
Why was the decision made to prioritise the funding of the statutory sector, knowing this risked the commitment that was made to independent, community and voluntary providers?
We are therefore urging you to reconsider the decision to make available the funds for this segment of the social care sector.
Yours Sincerely,
LA Newton NI Director
Association for Real Change
1. According to the NISCC Live Register Report (June 2025)
Head Office: ARC House, Marsden Street, Chesterfield, Derbyshire S40 1JY
News: ‘MY FAMILY’S LIFE HAS CHANGED SO MUCH FOR THE BETTER WITH SUPPORT FROM POSITIVE FUTURES”
A woman whose son is supported by Positive Futures to live in his own home after 12 years in Muckamore Abbey has told the BBC that her family’s life has changed so much for the better as a result.
Dawn Jones, whose son Timothy now has his own bungalow near her home and lives with round-the-clock support, told the Good Morning Ulster programme on Radio Ulster that he had gone from “walking with his shoulders down and head bowed” to “walking upright” since he left hospital.
Timothy enjoys outings with his staff and eating his favourite McDonald’s meal in the local park. Recently, he has visited the Exploris aquarium in Portaferry and the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum in Cultra.
To prepare for his move to the community, Positive Futures staff spent several months working alongside staff in the hospital to get to know Timothy.
Dawn said: “He looks happier, he looks more in control of his environment. He has changed so much. He’s non-verbal, but he’s starting to make some noises, which is promising.”
She added: “My life and the family’s life has changed so much for the better. “We’re all happy, we realise that Timothy is safe. He’s in a happy environment. Life is good now.”
Our Chief Executive, Agnes Lunny, told the programme: “Positive Futures has a genuine commitment to listening to people whose needs are a little bit different to the rest of ours.””This is not a miracle, this is not magic, this is the result of very hard work.” She added that anyone could be supported to live in the community with the right support from the right people.
The MAC, Belfast has won a charity award for providing a warm welcome for people with disabilities.
The Positive Futures Welcome Award celebrates organisations that go the extra mile in creating a supportive environment for people with a learning disability, acquired brain injury or autism, and their families.
Carers and people supported by our Family Matters Shared Lives Service have been attending the annual Christmas Show at the MAC for several years.
Julie McDowell, Service Manager for the Families Matter Shared Lives Service said: ‘The Carers, staff and family members attend the relaxed performance which is specially adapted to meet the needs of the people we support. Over the years and in particular last Christmas, the staff went above and beyond in accommodating all who attended. At our most recent visit people we support were so grateful for the warm welcome and excellent treatment they received. Nothing was too much trouble for the staff, who showed respect and patience to everyone.’
Dr Agnes Lunny, our Chief Executive, said: “We believe it’s really important to recognise organisations who are inclusive, compassionate and demonstrate understanding, and the team at the MAC certainly live up to those ideals. We look forward to many more businesses and organisations receiving our Welcome Award in the near future.”
Lisa McGinley, Director of the MAC said “Inclusivity is at the heart of everything we do at the MAC, so we’re really pleased to receive this award. It shows our commitment to making sure everyone feels welcome and valued when they visit us. We believe the arts should be for
everyone, and we’re proud to be recognised for the kindness and respect our team shows to all our visitors.”
News: Health Minister Sees Social Care Need At First Hand
From left to right: Professor Bengoa, Susan, Frazer Curry, Minister Mike Nesbitt and Karan Spence (Service Manager, The Arches Family Support Service)
Positive Futures was delighted to welcome Health Minister Mike Nesbitt and Prof Rafael Bengoa, who led a major review of health and social care in Northern Ireland, to one of its services in north Belfast, today.
Our Wheatfield Short Break Service offers residential short break support to allow families a break from their caring duties. The purpose-built facility can accommodate up to five people at any one time.
The Minister and Prof Bengoa met members of our staff, volunteers and carers and people supported by the Wheatfield Short Break Service, Families Matter Shared Lives Service and the Arches Family Support Service.
Minister Nesbitt said: “I am acutely aware of the very real challenges and difficulties faced by people with learning disabilities, families and carers and the vital role providers like Positive Futures play in supporting them to live fulfilling lives.
“Short Breaks are an important way that we support families and an area that we need to rapidly expand for children and adults. This will be achieved through collaborative work with the independent sector.”
Professor Bengoa said: “Engaging and supporting carers is a fundamental aspect of maintaining people within their own home and it is essential that the HSC continues to develop services in this area.”
Our Chief Executive Dr Agnes Lunny OBE said: “We hope this short glimpse at what we do will have given the Minister some pointers for his recently promised roadmap aimed, as he put it, at setting health and social care services on a clear path to recovery. We were delighted to welcome him together with Prof Bengoa, who, with his expert colleagues, recognised eight years ago that the system in Northern Ireland needed a radical transformation to make it fit for the future.
“We believe we have a major role to play in the future of social care in Northern Ireland, with our tailored support for individuals enabling people to live their best lives. We have shown repeatedly that we can provide high quality support and demonstrate better outcomes very cost-effectively. We were very pleased that both men heard directly from people and families we support. At the end of the day, theirs are the views that really count.”
News: Shauna Steps Out to Raise Money For Positive Futures
And she’s off! Shauna, who’s raising money for our Autism Outreach Service on a marathon 3-day walk with her friend Mairead, set out from our Enniskillen office on July 12. Chief Executive Agnes and Executive Director Paul joined them. Shauna’s husband Michael also lent his support. You can sponsor Shauna at https://www.justgiving.com/page/shauna-falconer-1719947989304.
