Praxis Care sets out strategy to 2030
Praxis Care, one of Northern Ireland’s leading social care employers, has launched its strategy to 2030. It is a transformative roadmap to expand services, empower staff, and raise standards in response to unprecedented demand for disability and mental health support. With more than 800 staff in Northern Ireland alone, Praxis Care is scaling its impact to meet the needs of thousands of people across the region.
A critical moment
Northern Ireland faces a pressing social care challenge. Nearly one in four people now live with a disability, a rise of 129,000 over the past decade. Autism prevalence among school-aged children has more than quadrupled since the 2000s, with nearly 6 per cent now identified as autistic. Nearly one in five lives with ill mental health, giving Northern Ireland the highest prevalence of mental illness in the UK, 25 per cent above the national average.
This surge in demand is straining services, from residential placements and day programmes to community-based supports. Without decisive action, waiting lists will grow, staff will be overstretched, and outcomes for vulnerable people could decline.
Praxis Care is responding at scale. With decades of experience supporting adults and children with mental ill health, autism, learning disabilities, and dementia, it is uniquely positioned to meet this challenge while aligning with Northern Ireland’s health and social care reforms and government commissioning priorities.
Transformation
Praxis Care’s strategy to 2030 is anchored in a clear vision: a society where every person supported can live independently, with dignity, purpose, and meaningful community connections.
“Our mission is simple,” says Carol Breen, Chief Executive of Praxis Care. “We provide personalised, compassionate support that empowers people to live fulfilling and meaningful lives. This strategy is our blueprint for delivering that mission at scale; expanding services, raising standards, and creating a sustainable model of care for the decade ahead.”
Praxis Care’s core values of integrity, respect, ambition, care, and innovation guide every decision, ensuring growth and expansion remain person-centred.
Strategic priorities
Northern Ireland’s rising demand for care services requires bold, targeted action. Praxis Care’s strategy to 2030 is built around three strategic priorities; each designed to tackle these challenges head-on: empowering people, elevating standards, and enhancing efficiency. Together, they provide a clear roadmap for delivering high-quality, person-centred care, strengthening the workforce, and ensuring sustainable, long-term impact across the region.
Empowering people
People lie at the centre of Praxis Care’s strategy. Services will be co-produced with individuals and families, tailored to meet their unique needs. Workforce investment is central: enhanced learning and development, career pathways, and staff wellbeing programmes will equip staff to deliver the high-quality care Northern Ireland urgently needs.
Elevating standards
Quality and accountability are non-negotiable. Praxis Care is embedding a culture of continuous improvement, strengthening governance, and modernising care environments. Success will be measured not just by outputs, but by meaningful improvements in independence, wellbeing, and inclusion.
Enhancing efficiency
Sustainability underpins the strategy. Digital transformation, data-driven decision-making, and research-informed practice will enable services to be more responsive and efficient. Financial prudence ensures long-term resilience, while innovations in care delivery will influence sector-wide improvement.
Turning vision into reality
Praxis Care is already putting the strategy into action. Earlier this year, it opened a state-of-the-art supported living service in Ballymena, inaugurated by Health Minister, Mike Nesbitt MLA; councillor Bréanainn Lyness, deputy Mayor of Mid and East Antrim Borough Council; and numerous local councillors.
The facility exemplifies the strategy in practice: personalised, community-based, and built around individual needs.
Further developments planned in 2026 will expand access to residential, supported living, and community-based services, aligned with government commissioning priorities and evidence of rising need.
Driving this delivery is Praxis Care’s new senior leadership team, featuring strong female representation. Their expertise, experience, and collaborative leadership signal a fresh chapter in the organisation’s growth and reflect the strategy’s values of innovation and inclusion.
Collaboration
Praxis Care recognises that no single organisation can meet these challenges alone. Success requires partnership with government, health and social care trusts, housing bodies, and the voluntary sector.
Breen says: “The challenges are significant, but so is the opportunity. With the right investment and collaboration, we can support a social care system that delivers dignity, independence, and opportunity for every individual.”
Towards 2030
Northern Ireland’s social care landscape is at a tipping point. Rising need demands decisive, transformative action. Praxis Care’s strategy to 2030 offers a clear, values-driven roadmap: scaling services, uplifting standards, and embedding efficiency and innovation.
With a committed workforce, an empowered leadership team, and a plan rooted in evidence and impact, Praxis Care is ready to lead the way; ensuring that by 2030, people across Northern Ireland can live empowered, independent, and fulfilling lives.
Explore the strategy: www.praxiscare.org/strategy-to-2030
