You are invited to the 21st Regional Sexual Health Conference in Northern Ireland which will explore 'Challenges for the Way Forward'.  This will take place on Wednesday 18th November 2015, in the Canal Court Hotel, Newry, Co. Down, from 9.00am - 5.00pm.  The conference will showcase models of excellence in sexual health, facilitate the sharing of developments and information, and offer networking opportunities which can help to improve the sexual health of the population.  To book a place, email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The aim of this workshop is to provide participants with basic up-to-date information on HIV and Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs).  It will be of benefit to people working in the voluntary, youth, and community sectors who may deal with these issues in the workplace.  The workshop will take place on Tuesday 3rd November 2015, from 10.00am to 4.30pm, in HIV Ireland, 70 Eccles Street, Dublin 7.  Further information on this training (and a booking form) is available at: www.hivireland.ie/what-we-do/training/hiv-and-stis-a-one-day-workshop

The British Society of Gerontology in Northern Ireland would like to invite you to their next event on 'Ageing and Research'.  The keynote speakers will be Professor Jill Manthorpe (King’s College London) who will talk about involving older people in research on ageing, and Dr Assumpta Ryan (Ulster University) who will talk about improving the quality of life in care homes in Northern Ireland.  The event will take place on Tuesday 27th October 2015, from 2.00pm to 4.00pm, in the Loughview Suite at the Ulster University Jordanstown campus.  The event is free, but places must be booked in advance by emailing: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The Irish Society for Quality and Safety in Healthcare is, currently, running an online survey focused upon Compassionate Healthcare in Ireland.  In particular, they would like to ensure that they capture the views of men who may or may not have been a patient in the last 12 months.  The ‘male voice’ is underestimated in the results that they have to date, and they would appreciate the input of males.  The survey can be accessed at: www.surveymonkey.com/r/CompassionSurvey2015

Retail staff ...  Do you encounter customers with memory loss / dementia?  Would you like to learn how to support these customers in an appropriate manner?  If so, why not take a look at Dementia Elevator’s free online dementia training for front line retail staff?  It just takes an hour to complete and it’s completely free.  The programme covers recognising possible dementia in the retail environment, identifying and addressing the challenges faced by a person with dementia in the retail setting, and exploring how the retail physical environment can be made dementia friendly.  The training is interactive and engaging, with videos of retail based scenarios, interviews with professionals and a person with dementia, quizzes, and a participant forum.  It is suitable for staff working in all types of retail outlets.  For more information, visit: http://youtu.be/Dk1NCgk0mWg

Mediation Awareness Week will run from Monday 19th - Saturday 24th October this year.  To mark this occasion, Family Mediation NI will be holding an Open Day on Thursday 22nd October 2015, from 12.30pm - 4.30pm, in their office at 7 University Street, Belfast BT7 1FY.  During this time, mediators, trainers and supervisors will be available to answer queries about personal and professional referrals to Family Mediation NI; mediation information booklets will be on display; a private room will be offered for personal queries; and light refreshments will be provided at the scheduled talks.  Send all Open Day queries to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

It's 10 days to World Mental Health Day 2015 (#WMHDay) ...  The Men's Health Forum in Ireland (MHFI) has partnered with Niamh, Age NI, NICEM, The Rainbow Project and Carers NI to launch a campaign which calls for everyone in our society to be treated with dignity and respect in order to protect and enhance their mental wellbeing. Each of the partners will focus upon a different issue each day, so keep an eye to their websites / Facebook pages / Twitter feeds!  Find out more at: http://bit.ly/1YQqDWE

A new briefing paper titled 'The Dad Factor - How Fathers Improve Child Outcomes' was launched on Monday 21st September 2015 in The Long Gallery, Stormont, Belfast.  This publication was produced by the Dads Direct group in Northern Ireland (comprised of Contact Centres, Family Mediation NI, Home-Start NI, Men’s Health Forum in Ireland, Parenting NI, Relate NI and Sure Starts), and was based upon research collated by Dr Helga Sneddon.  To access a PDF version of this document, visit: www.mhfi.org/TheDadFactor.pdf