Blaine recognises that our greatest resource is our team. We are passionate about our recruitment and selection process and hire the right people for every role within our service by adhering to strict recruitment criteria. We focus on identifying individuals who genuinely care for children and who are committed to supporting each child to reach their full potential. Every team member must align with our organisational culture, which is based on openness, honesty, transparency, and teamwork, where everyone is valued and respected. All applicants are reference checked and garda vetted. Retention and employee recognition are part of Blaines ethos to attract and retain our talent pool.

The team receive mandatory training before they start including First Aid, Children First Child Protection, Manual Handling and fire Safety. In addition, they will also receive Blaines in house training in August including behaviour management, communication, mealtimes, etc. We provide regular training days throughout the year to ensure our staff are constantly up-to-date with best practices.

OUR FOUNDERS

Louise Barrett 

Louise is an accomplished management professional with over 25 years’ experience working within The Early Years sector. 

Louise was a statutory Director of The Park Academy Childcare, a well-established group of crèches in South Dublin including Irelands first Nature Kindergarten catering for over 120 afterschool children.

Louise holds a BA (Hons) Degree in Early Childhood Education bringing expertise in early years pedagogy, service development, regulatory compliance, quality assurance, and staff leadership. 

Neil Holohan 

Neil has spent 20 years working as a business leader in the Education Sector.  He spent 13 years successfully building and scaling two educational companies. Frances King School of English was an Irish start-up established in 2013. As a statutory Director, Neil built an effective and efficient organisational structure that delivered high-quality products and services within a highly competitive and regulated market. 

In his most recent role at Kids Inc/Lyons Den Afterschool as director, Neil was brought on board during an exciting phase of rapid expansion. Through a strategic programme of growth, he further strengthened the organisation by implementing new processes, systems, and software.