Technical Report - Donegal Traveller's Project

All Ireland Traveller Health StudyIn addition to training sessions, there were also regular information meetings with various stakeholdersin the year leading up to the census visits both in the ROI and NI. These were held at regional andnational level to provide updates/information and feedback on the process. These included briefingswith both National and Regional Traveller Networks (for example, the National Traveller ReferenceGroup, NTHN, and An Munia Tober), the HSE (for example, the National Liaison Group, and the networkof nurses working with Travellers) and the TSG and Northern Ireland Stakeholder Groups were also keptabreast of developments as they occurred.The Lead-up to the CensusIn the weeks leading up to the Republic of Ireland census and the Northern Ireland census, the UCDstudy team, with the support of the Primary Health Care Projects and equivalent groups, disseminatedflyers announcing the census date. The UCD study team also worked with representative Travellerorganisations (Pavee Point and An Munia Tober) to produce leaflets with more detailed discussion onthe study for dissemination both in the Republic and Northern Ireland. The Traveller Networks workedtirelessly to ensure that each and every Irish Traveller on the island was aware of and fully informed ofthe nature and purpose of the study in advance of the census visits.The study team also worked with the HSE to develop and disseminate additional leaflets at the censusvisits outlining the process and purpose of the birth cohort study specifically. Other stakeholders werealerted to the study both through correspondence with relevant groups, and through the media. Forinstance, GPs were informed of the study through the Irish College of General Practitioners (ICGP), andthrough an article in the September 2008 issue of ‘Forum’ magazine. In addition, both the DHSSPSNIand the HSE publicised the start of the census in their respective areas through their respectivenetworks (e.g., the HSE Intranet)60