Changing Faces in Northern Ireland

How do I contact the office in Northern Ireland?

At present our office in Northern Ireland operates on a part time basis. Normal office hours are Mondays and Tuesdays, 8am - 6pm. Our officer is Jan Wright and you can contact her:

Tel: 0845 4500 732
Email: nireland@changingfaces.org.uk

PO Box 1080
Belfast
BT1 9EN

Jan is supported in her work by an Advisory panel of Northern Ireland people who meet three times a year. Current panel members are:

  • Dave Wall, Senior Adviser, Department for Social Development
  • Eithne Teeney, Ward Sister Regional Burns Unit Belfast Trust: Royal site
  • Martin Howell, Director, Corporate Social Responsibility Business in the Community NI
  • Frances Murphy, Information Officer, Contact a Family NI
  • Chris Hill, Senior Consultant Plastic Surgeon
  • Jillian Patchett , Director of Care Northern Ireland Chest Heart and Stroke association
  • Patricia Curran , Parent and educationalist St Malachy’s College
  • Hilda Crawford, Specialist Adviser Neurofibromatosis and Tubular Sclerosis , Belfast City Hospital
  • Gloria Nazir Consultant Clinical Psychologist Psycho-oncology Service, Antrim Area Hospital

Since the Changing Faces office in Northern Ireland launched in June 2007 Jan has been:

  • Raising awareness of disfigurement in the local media, e.g. television, radio, newspapers and magazines.
  • Answering phone-calls, e-mails and letters from clients and professionals, providing information, advice and support, and signposting to Changing Faces specialist services and other sources of support within Northern Ireland.
  • Attending health, education and other relevant conferences and seminars with aim of:
    - Developing understanding of service provision throughout Northern Ireland.
    - Increasing professionals’ understanding of our services and approach.
    - Building networks of contacts in the statutory, voluntary and other sectors across Northern Ireland.
  • Making presentations at health seminars and conferences.
  • Producing articles for health, educational and voluntary sector publications.
  • Organising Changing Faces training events for health and social care professionals.
  • Advocating for improved psychological and social support services within Northern Ireland health services, e.g. working with the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust, as well as in specialist areas of cleft lip and palate, oncology/psycho oncology, and head and neck cancer.
  • Promoting the work of Changing Faces with the Assembly and government Departments.

We also work with a wide range of statutory, voluntary/community organisations and individuals to ensure that local people living with disfigurements and their families know about our work, the services available and how to contact us. We work closely with NHS, social service and education professionals to share information and learning about our work [e.g. training courses] and how they can refer people they have contact with to our services.