About shine
Shine is a Registered Charity and Not for Profit Company based in Carrigaline Co Cork. Shine was established by a group of parents in 2001 to provide services, support and information to autistic children and their families. In that time the organisation has grown and we have worked with many hundreds of autistic children and their families across Cork city and county and beyond. The Shine Centre provides a wide range of services and programmes to autistic children, adolescents and teenagers as well as support and training services for parents, siblings and educators. We passionately believe in the right of autistic people and their families to be heard and for the services and supports that they need to be provided to them. At Shine we focus on the best outcomes for both the child and family and we are fully committed to providing each of our children with the
opportunity to reach their full potential and to support and empower their parents with practical advice, knowledge and information during that journey.
Neurodiversity invites us to celebrate the spectrum of human neurological differences. By acknowledging and appreciating the diverse ways in which our brains work, we create a world that is more compassionate, inclusive, and welcoming for all children. Seeing the ability in every child and allowing them to Shine by affording them individualised support, acceptance and understanding.
how our services operate
Since its foundation in 2001, Shine has provided all services free of charge to our clients and families and the organisation continues to do so. Some of our services receive state funding, a number of our services do not and as a result we rely on donations and fundraising activities to fund these vital services for our children and families. Our services, with the exception of the Early Intervention Classes, operate on a demand led basis. This effectively means that the potential wait time depends on how busy a particular service is at the time you contact us. We will endeavor to keep wait times to a minimum but it may be necessary to wait a number of weeks for a particular service at certain pinch points during the year. The Early Learning Unit has an annual intake of 18 students in September of each year and the students remain in that service until the following July at the end of that academic year. You can contact all of our services by calling the Shine Centre or by emailing the relevant service directly. The services we provide are limited in scope and on occasions we may be unable to help you with every issue that arises, but we will always try to connect you with a service that can.
shine educate
Shine Educate is our organisation’s training and development platform. We offer both in person and online training in a wide range of autism related areas.
Governance
Shine Ireland has a fully independent Board of Directors who are responsible for the good governance and oversight of the organisation. Shine is a registered charity with the Irish Revenue Commissioners (CHY 17702) and is also registered with the Charities Regulator Registered Number (No: 20066444). We produce annual audited accounts that are filed with both the CRO and Charities Regulator and these accounts are available to view on our website. Our services are subject to audit and inspection by TUSLA, Department of Special Education, HSE and the Charities Regulator. All of these audit reports are also available to view on our website.
