Founder of The Voice of the Child Loreto Martin

In 1996 -2008 Loreto worked in a residential Group Home with adults who presented
with challenges in their lives.

In 2003 Loreto attended The Open Training College and graduated in 2007 with an Honours BA
(Level 8) in Applied Social Studies (Disabilities).

In 2008 Loreto was employed on a part time basis as an associate tutor with The Open Training
College. Loreto’s role was to tutor, mentor and support 1st and 2nd year students as they
worked through their Degree course in Applied Social Studies (Disabilities).

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2008-2020 Loreto moved to work in Navan Springboard Family Support Services (now
known as Meath Springboard Family Support Services).

Loreto's initial position in Springboard was Development Officer for the ‘He’s My Dad’ project. The
Aim of this project was to support Dads in their parenting role to enable and empower them to be the
best Dads they could be for their children.  This involved one to one support as well as a group
every week where up to 8-10 dads attended.

In 2009 the Children’s Access Support Service started as a result of a Dad saying he
had been granted access by the court, but said he had nowhere to bring his children. As a family support service we responded and 
started an access service so that children had somewhere safe, fun and homely to
come to meet and spent time with the parent that they were not living with.

Loreto co-facilitated two 12 week training MOVE programmes (Men overcoming
violence in their intimate relationships). The aim of this training course was to
educate men that there was another way to respond when annoyed, if they choose to,
rather than lashing out and hurting their partners. Some men realised that the abusive behaviour

they engaged in was a choice. They also became aware that if they chose to, they could

change their behaviour and some men decided that the circle of abuse stopped with them.

Loreto continued to work with Dads and Coordinate the Children’s Access Support
Service until 2013. In 2013 Loreto Coordinated the Access Service full time until 2020. This also involved writing Court reports at parents’ requests and attended court when she
was summoned to do so by the courts at the request of a parent.

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In March 2020 Loreto left Meath Springboard to pursue writing Section 32 ‘Voice of
the Child’ reports for court as well as providing other services.