Project Overview
Designwest recently completed a full website design and build for Roscommon County Childcare Committee CLG, the statutory, voluntary, community and private sector partnership that supports early years care and education across County Roscommon. The brief called for a single website design in Roscommon that could serve three very different audiences without confusing any of them.
Parents searching for childcare needed clear, reassuring answers fast. Providers and childminders needed regulatory detail and practical resources. RCCC staff needed a website they could update themselves, without waiting on a developer every time a job vacancy or event needed to go live.
The result is a website design for County Roscommon that puts information architecture first, backed by warm, trustworthy imagery and a navigation structure built around real user journeys rather than internal organisational charts.
The Client & Context
Roscommon County Childcare Committee CLG (RCCC) was established in 2002 and represents a partnership of statutory, voluntary, community and private sector interests working together to improve early childhood care and education throughout County Roscommon. RCCC is funded by the Department of Children, Disability and Equality, and its role spans supporting families, resourcing childcare providers, and administering national funding programmes locally.
That funding relationship matters for a website design project. Public sector-adjacent organisations in Ireland carry obligations around accessibility, clarity of information and consistent public communication that a typical SME website does not. Designwest approached this website design in Roscommon with that context built into every decision, from navigation labelling to colour contrast.
RCCC’s audience is genuinely three-part. Parents in Roscommon town, Castlerea, Boyle and across the county need to find childcare, understand eligibility for schemes like ECCE, and get honest guidance if they are approaching the sector for the first time. Providers and childminders need up to date regulatory information, national action plans and quality guidance. RCCC’s own staff need a platform they can run day to day, not one that depends on outside help for routine updates.
The Brief
RCCC came to Designwest with a website that no longer reflected the scope of its work or the needs of its users. The brief was for a full website design and redevelopment: a homepage that speaks to families first, a navigation structure that separates parent, provider and childminder pathways clearly, and a content management setup that RCCC staff could run independently after handover.
Specific requirements included an ECCE Eligibility Calculator accessible directly from the homepage, a dedicated Jobs Board that staff could update without developer involvement, an events and news system, and a properly organised Resources section linking out to verified national bodies including Tusla, Gov.ie and Siolta. Accessibility was a stated requirement throughout, not an afterthought added at the end.
The Challenge
The core challenge in this website design project was serving three audiences from one site without any of them feeling like an afterthought. Parents arriving in a moment of stress, perhaps searching for emergency childcare or trying to understand a subsidy scheme, need a completely different experience to a registered childminder checking updated national guidance.
A second challenge was resourcing. RCCC is a small team managing a wide remit. A website that required constant developer intervention for a new job listing or a news update was not sustainable. The build needed to hand real control back to non-technical staff, while still looking and functioning like a professional public-facing platform.
A third challenge was the sheer volume and sensitivity of the resource material. Childcare regulation in Ireland spans Tusla registration requirements, the National Action Plan for Childminding 2021 to 2028, ECCE scheme rules, and Siolta quality guidance. Presenting all of this in a way that is genuinely useful, rather than simply linked and forgotten, required careful information architecture.
Our Design Approach
Designwest built the navigation around seven primary sections: Home, Parents, Providers, Childminding, Resources, Quality and Jobs Board, with an About Us section covering RCCC’s own identity and mission. Each top-level item maps to a distinct audience journey rather than an internal department, which is the detail that makes a public sector website design actually usable rather than merely comprehensive.
The homepage was designed to work as a triage point. A warm, real photograph of Roscommon families in an outdoor setting sits behind the headline “Supporting Families and the Early Years in Roscommon,” with three colour coded action buttons immediately visible: News and Events, Useful Quick Links, and the ECCE Eligibility Calculator. A first-time visitor does not need to hunt through menus to find the single thing they came for.
For providers and childminders, the site separates regulatory content into its own dedicated pathways under Providers and Childminding, so a registered childminder checking the National Action Plan is not wading through parent-facing content to get there. The Resources section was treated as a curated library rather than a generic links page, with national bodies including Tusla, Gov.ie and Siolta verified and categorised for reliability.
Design and Development Process
- Discovery and mapping — Designwest reviewed RCCC’s existing content, regulatory obligations and the three distinct user groups before any visual work began.
- Information architecture — the seven-section navigation was built and tested against realistic user journeys for parents, providers and staff.
- Visual design — homepage and template designs were produced around a warm, photography-led aesthetic suited to a family and community audience.
- Elementor build — the site was built on WordPress using the Elementor page builder, giving RCCC staff a visual editing interface for ongoing updates.
- Content migration and resource verification — every linked national and local resource was checked and categorised, including Tusla, Gov.ie and Siolta references.
- Staging to live testing — the full site was tested on a staging environment for functionality, responsiveness and accessibility before going live.
- Staff training — Designwest produced custom, site-specific video tutorials covering RCCC’s most frequent tasks, including the Jobs Board and Events calendar.
Design Rationale & Visual Decisions
Colour
The palette leans on a warm, natural photographic backdrop rather than heavy branded colour blocking, which suits an organisation whose core message is trust and support rather than commercial positioning. Against that photography, the site uses a confident primary blue for main navigation and calls to action, a warm orange for secondary prompts, and a clear green for the ECCE Eligibility Calculator button.
That three-colour CTA system is a deliberate piece of visual hierarchy. Blue, orange and green sit far enough apart on the colour wheel that a visitor scanning the homepage in a few seconds can distinguish three separate actions without reading every word. The RCCC logo itself, a simple blue adult figure holding a yellow child figure, is carried through consistently in the header across every page and device.
Contrast was checked carefully throughout, given the accessibility obligations that come with public sector funding. White backgrounds and dark navigation text sit against the photography rather than over it, keeping body copy legible for parents reading on a phone in poor light or on the move.
Form & Structure
The layout follows a clear top-down hierarchy: header and navigation, hero image with primary CTAs, then progressively more specific content as the user scrolls or clicks deeper. This structure repeats consistently across the About Us, Guide to Choosing Childcare, and National Action Plan for Childminding pages, so users always know roughly where key information will sit regardless of which section they are in.
The site was built mobile-responsive from the outset, and the layouts hold up across the full range tested, from large desktop monitors down to laptop, tablet and mobile phone screens. Card-based content blocks on pages like the About Us section break dense organisational information (About Us, Mission Statement) into digestible, scannable chunks rather than long unbroken paragraphs.
Typography
Headings use a bold, rounded serif-influenced display style for the word “Roscommon” on the homepage, in a warm yellow that reads clearly against the photographic background without competing with it. Body navigation and content typography is a clean, highly legible sans serif, chosen specifically because much of the site’s audience, including parents under time pressure and providers checking regulatory detail, needs to scan and absorb information quickly rather than read for pleasure.
Font weight is used purposefully throughout: heavier weights mark primary headings and CTA buttons, lighter weights carry body copy, and the hierarchy never becomes ambiguous even on smaller mobile screens where space is limited.
Symbolism & Content
The RCCC logo of an adult figure holding a child’s hand is simple and universally readable, which matters for an organisation communicating with a broad and sometimes vulnerable audience. The homepage photography shows real families and children outdoors in a recognisably Irish rural setting, reinforcing the county-wide, community-rooted nature of RCCC’s remit rather than presenting a generic stock office image.
On interior pages such as the Guide to Choosing Childcare, a friendly illustrated character is used to soften what can otherwise be a dense, anxiety-inducing topic for first-time parents. This is a deliberate content decision as much as a visual one: illustration signals approachability exactly where the subject matter, choosing childcare for the first time, is most likely to feel overwhelming.
Practical Application
The design system had to perform identically across desktop, laptop, tablet and mobile, since RCCC’s real-world audience includes parents browsing on a phone in a car park and providers checking regulatory documents at a desk. Every mock-up was tested across this full device range before sign-off, and the accessibility icon present in the corner of every page gives users direct access to accessibility tools regardless of which section of the site they are on.
The CMS choice, WordPress with Elementor, was itself a practical design decision. It allows RCCC’s own staff to add a new job listing, update an event, or edit a resource link without needing HTML or developer support, which was one of the stated requirements from the outset.
Final Outcome & Applications
The finished website design gives Roscommon County Childcare Committee a platform that works for parents, providers and staff without compromise on any front. The ECCE Eligibility Calculator, News and Events, and Useful Quick Links are all one click from the homepage. Providers and childminders have dedicated pathways to regulatory content including the National Action Plan for Childminding 2021 to 2028, without wading through parent-facing material to reach it.
RCCC staff now manage the Jobs Board and Events calendar directly, supported by custom video tutorials produced specifically around their day to day tasks rather than generic software training. The site was built mobile-responsive throughout, tested from staging to live across desktop, tablet and mobile, and includes integrated accessibility features appropriate to a publicly funded organisation.
The Resources section stands as a genuinely reliable reference point rather than a static links page, with national bodies including Tusla, Gov.ie and Siolta verified and categorised for parents and providers across County Roscommon and beyond.
Why Choose Designwest for Website Design in Roscommon
Designwest brings a Mayo-based studio’s understanding of rural and regional Irish organisations to every website design project in Connacht and nationwide. Working with a statutory-funded body like RCCC requires a different discipline to a typical SME site: accessibility obligations, multiple distinct audiences, and content that must remain accurate and current for years after launch.
This project shows that discipline in practice. Every resource link was verified rather than assumed correct. Every page was tested across devices before going live. Staff were trained specifically on their own tasks rather than handed a generic manual. That is the standard Designwest applies to website design in Roscommon, across County Mayo, and for public sector and community organisations throughout Ireland.
Organisations in Roscommon, Connacht and further afield looking for a website design partner that understands both the design and the practical realities of public sector communication will find that experience reflected in this project.
Frequently Asked Questions
What did Designwest deliver for Roscommon County Childcare Committee?
Designwest delivered a full website design and redevelopment for RCCC, including a new homepage, a seven-section navigation structure, a Jobs Board, an Events and News system, a Resources hub, and staff training. The site was built on WordPress using Elementor so RCCC staff could manage content independently after launch.
Why did RCCC need a new website?
RCCC’s previous site no longer reflected the scope of its work or the needs of its three main audiences: parents, providers and childminders, and its own staff. The redesign focused on clearer navigation, faster access to key tools like the ECCE Eligibility Calculator, and a content management system RCCC could run without ongoing developer support.
How much does website design cost in Ireland?
Website design costs in Ireland vary depending on scope, number of pages, custom functionality, and content management requirements. A project like RCCC’s, involving multiple user pathways, a Jobs Board, an events system and staff training, sits at a higher scope than a simple brochure site. Designwest provides tailored quotes based on the specific brief.
Does Designwest only work with businesses, or public sector organisations too?
Designwest works with Irish SMEs, community organisations, and public sector and statutory bodies including childcare committees, government departments and local authorities. Projects like the RCCC website reflect the accessibility, accuracy and multi-audience considerations that public sector work requires.
What is an ECCE Eligibility Calculator and why was it a priority?
The ECCE Eligibility Calculator helps parents quickly check whether their child qualifies for the Early Childhood Care and Education scheme. RCCC asked for it to be one of the most visible tools on the homepage, since eligibility questions are one of the most common reasons parents visit the site.
How long does a website design project like this take?
Timelines for a multi-audience website design project depend on the number of sections, the volume of content to migrate, and how much custom functionality is required, such as a Jobs Board or calculator. Projects involving staff training and full staging-to-live testing, as with RCCC, typically run longer than a standard small business website.
What is Elementor and why was it used for this project?
Elementor is a WordPress page builder that gives non-technical staff a visual, drag and drop interface for editing pages, adding content and updating listings. Designwest chose it for RCCC specifically so staff could manage the Jobs Board and Events calendar themselves after handover.
Why does the site have separate sections for Parents, Providers and Childminding?
Parents, providers and childminders have fundamentally different needs when they visit the site. Separating these into distinct navigation pathways means each audience reaches relevant content faster, without irrelevant material from another audience’s journey getting in the way.
What resources are linked on the RCCC website?
The Resources section links to verified national and local bodies including Tusla, Gov.ie and Siolta guidelines, alongside RCCC’s own local information. Each link was checked and categorised during the build to make sure parents and providers can rely on it.
What is the National Action Plan for Childminding?
The National Action Plan for Childminding 2021 to 2028 is a government framework setting out an eight-year pathway towards regulation, support and subsidies for paid, non-relative childminders in Ireland. The RCCC website presents this plan clearly within the Childminding section for providers to reference.
Is the RCCC website accessible?
Yes. Accessibility features are integrated throughout the site, including an accessibility tool icon present on every page, and the design was built with contrast, legibility and navigation clarity in mind throughout, reflecting RCCC’s obligations as a publicly funded organisation.
Does Designwest design websites for organisations outside Mayo?
Yes. Designwest is based in Mayo but works with clients across Connacht, Dublin and nationwide Ireland. The RCCC project in County Roscommon is one example of that reach beyond Mayo.
What platform is the RCCC website built on?
The site is built on WordPress, using the Elementor page builder for the front end editing experience. This combination gives RCCC a professional, flexible platform that non-technical staff can maintain directly.
Can RCCC staff update the website themselves?
Yes. That was a core requirement of the brief. Designwest built the site on Elementor and produced custom video tutorials specifically covering RCCC’s most frequent tasks, including adding job listings and updating events, so staff do not need ongoing developer support for routine changes.
What is a Jobs Board and why does RCCC need one?
A Jobs Board is a dedicated section listing current vacancies, in this case within the Roscommon childcare sector. RCCC needed the ability to add and remove listings themselves as vacancies changed, without requesting a developer update every time.
How does the website help parents choosing childcare for the first time?
The Guide to Choosing Childcare section was designed specifically to support parents unfamiliar with the sector, using approachable illustration and plain language to explain the different types of childcare service, what to expect, and how to make an informed decision.
Why is the homepage designed the way it is?
The homepage was designed to work as a triage point, giving a first-time visitor immediate access to the three most requested actions: News and Events, Useful Quick Links, and the ECCE Eligibility Calculator, without needing to search through menus.
Is the site mobile-friendly?
Yes. The site was built mobile-responsive from the outset and tested across desktop, laptop, tablet and mobile phone screens before going live, since a significant share of RCCC’s audience, particularly parents, browse on mobile devices.
What is Tusla and why is it referenced on the site?
Tusla is Ireland’s Child and Family Agency, responsible for regulating and inspecting childcare services. RCCC’s Resources section links to verified Tusla guidance so providers and parents can access accurate regulatory information directly.
What is Siolta and why does it appear on the RCCC website?
Siolta is Ireland’s national quality framework for early childhood care and education. RCCC’s Quality section references Siolta guidance to support providers in maintaining recognised standards across County Roscommon.
Did Designwest handle content migration for this project?
Yes. Designwest treated resource and content migration as a precision task, verifying and categorising every national and local link, including Tusla, Gov.ie and Siolta references, rather than carrying over outdated or broken links from the previous site.
What is the difference between the Providers and Childminding sections?
Providers covers registered childcare services and centres, while Childminding addresses the specific regulatory and support needs of individual childminders, including the National Action Plan for Childminding. Separating them avoids conflating two related but distinct groups within the sector.
Does Designwest offer ongoing support after a website goes live?
Designwest supports clients beyond launch, including guidance on updates and troubleshooting. For RCCC specifically, custom video tutorials were produced so staff have a lasting internal reference for their most common tasks.
How does Designwest ensure a public sector website meets accessibility standards?
Designwest builds accessibility into the design process from the outset, considering colour contrast, legible typography, clear navigation labelling and integrated accessibility tools, rather than treating accessibility as a final compliance check.
What was the biggest design challenge on this project?
The core challenge was serving three distinct audiences, parents, providers and childminders, from a single site without any group feeling underserved. Designwest addressed this through a seven-section navigation structure built around real user journeys rather than internal departments.
Why is the RCCC logo a simple figure holding a child’s hand?
Simple, universally readable symbolism suits an organisation communicating with a broad audience, including parents who may be unfamiliar with the sector. The figure holding a child’s hand communicates support and guidance without needing explanation.
What colours were used on the RCCC website and why?
The site uses a warm photographic backdrop with a confident blue for primary navigation, orange for secondary prompts, and green for the ECCE Eligibility Calculator. This three-colour system creates immediate visual distinction between the three main homepage actions.
Can other childcare committees in Ireland use a similar website approach?
Yes. The information architecture principles used for RCCC, separating parent, provider and staff-facing content, verifying all resource links, and building on an editable CMS, apply equally to other childcare committees or similar public sector bodies across Ireland.
How does the site handle events and news?
The site includes a News and Events section, prominently linked from the homepage, which RCCC staff can update directly through the Elementor interface without developer involvement for routine announcements.
Is County Roscommon a common location for Designwest projects?
Designwest works across Connacht, including County Roscommon, alongside its home base in Mayo and its Dublin office. The RCCC project reflects the studio’s broader work with community and public sector organisations across the west of Ireland.
What makes a childcare committee website different from a typical business website?
A childcare committee website must serve multiple distinct audiences with different needs, meet public sector accessibility expectations, and present sensitive regulatory and welfare-related information clearly and accurately, which places different demands on structure and tone compared with a typical commercial site.
Did the RCCC project include any custom illustration?
Yes. The Guide to Choosing Childcare section uses a friendly illustrated character to make an often daunting topic, choosing childcare for the first time, feel more approachable for parents.
How does Designwest verify resource links before publishing them?
Each resource link, including references to Tusla, Gov.ie and Siolta, was checked individually during the migration process to confirm it led to current, accurate information before being categorised and published on the live site.
What is the ECCE scheme?
ECCE, the Early Childhood Care and Education scheme, is a government-funded programme providing free pre-school provision for eligible children in Ireland. RCCC’s website includes a calculator to help parents quickly check their child’s eligibility.
Why does the site separate Quality as its own navigation section?
Quality standards, including Siolta guidance, are a distinct concern for providers separate from day to day regulatory or parent-facing information, so giving it a dedicated section keeps quality-focused content easy to locate for providers who need it.
Can Designwest redesign an existing WordPress site rather than building from scratch?
Yes. Designwest regularly redevelops existing WordPress sites, restructuring navigation, migrating content, and rebuilding on Elementor where needed, as was the case with the RCCC project.
Does the RCCC website work well for users with visual impairments?
The site includes an accessibility tool icon on every page giving users direct access to accessibility features, alongside careful attention to contrast and typography throughout the design, reflecting RCCC’s public sector accessibility obligations.
What is the benefit of using Elementor over a fully custom-coded website?
Elementor gives non-technical staff a visual editing interface for ongoing content updates, which was essential for RCCC given the requirement for staff to manage the Jobs Board and Events calendar independently after launch.
How does Designwest approach website design for organisations with multiple stakeholders?
Designwest maps out each stakeholder group’s needs during the discovery phase before any visual design begins, then builds a navigation and content structure, as with RCCC’s seven-section architecture, that gives each group a clear, direct path to relevant content.
What kind of photography is used on the RCCC homepage?
The homepage uses warm, naturalistic photography of families outdoors in a recognisably Irish rural setting, reinforcing RCCC’s community-rooted, county-wide remit rather than relying on generic stock imagery.
Does the RCCC website include bilingual Irish and English content?
Public sector-funded organisations in Ireland often require bilingual consideration. Designwest works with clients on bilingual Irish and English content where required, and structures navigation and templates to accommodate it where a project calls for it.
How does RCCC’s website support providers checking regulatory updates?
The Providers and Childminding sections give registered services and individual childminders a direct pathway to current regulatory information, including the National Action Plan for Childminding, without needing to search through parent-facing content.
What training did Designwest provide RCCC staff?
Designwest produced custom, site-specific video tutorials covering RCCC’s most frequent day to day tasks, including adding job listings and updating events, giving staff a lasting reference rather than a one-off handover session.
Why does word choice matter on a childcare committee website?
Clear, plain language matters for an audience that includes parents encountering the childcare system for the first time, often at a stressful moment. RCCC’s content, particularly in the Guide to Choosing Childcare section, was written and structured with that in mind.
How does Designwest handle staging and testing before a site goes live?
Designwest builds and tests every website on a staging environment first, checking functionality, responsiveness and accessibility across devices, before migrating the finished site to go live, as was done throughout the RCCC project.
Does Designwest work with childcare organisations elsewhere in Ireland?
Designwest’s experience with RCCC reflects a broader capability in designing for childcare, community and public sector organisations across Ireland, applying the same information architecture and accessibility principles to similar briefs nationwide.
What should an organisation prepare before starting a website design project like this?
Organisations should prepare a clear sense of their distinct audiences, existing content that needs migrating, any regulatory or accessibility requirements, and who internally will manage the site after launch, all of which shaped the RCCC brief from the outset.
How does the RCCC website compare to the previous version?
The rebuilt site introduces a clearer seven-section navigation, prioritised homepage tools including the ECCE Eligibility Calculator, a properly verified Resources section, and a content management system RCCC staff can run independently, addressing gaps in the previous site.
Can a website like this scale as RCCC’s services grow?
Yes. Building on WordPress with Elementor gives RCCC a platform that can accommodate new pages, sections or tools as its services expand, without requiring a full rebuild.
Is Designwest experienced with government-funded organisations specifically?
Yes. Designwest has worked with government departments and statutory-funded bodies including RCCC, bringing an understanding of the accessibility, accuracy and multi-audience demands that distinguish this work from typical commercial projects.
How do I find a web designer near me in Roscommon or Connacht?
Designwest is based in Mayo and works across Connacht, including County Roscommon, as well as Dublin and nationwide. Organisations in Roscommon looking for a website design partner with public sector experience can contact Designwest directly.
What is the takeaway from the RCCC website project?
The RCCC project shows that a single website can genuinely serve multiple distinct audiences well, provided the navigation, content and CMS choices are built around real user needs from the outset rather than retrofitted afterwards.
Key Takeaways
- Designwest delivered a full website design for Roscommon County Childcare Committee, structured around seven navigation sections serving parents, providers and childminders.
- The homepage prioritises the ECCE Eligibility Calculator, News and Events, and Useful Quick Links as immediate, one-click actions.
- The site was built on WordPress with Elementor, giving RCCC staff independent control over the Jobs Board and Events calendar.
- Every national and local resource link, including Tusla, Gov.ie and Siolta, was individually verified and categorised.
- The build included full staging-to-live testing, mobile-responsive design, integrated accessibility features and custom staff training videos.
Looking for website design in Roscommon, across Connacht or anywhere in Ireland? Contact Designwest, email info@designwest.ie or call 094 938 2000.
Declan Foley is an Irish Creative Director with over 30 years of experience in graphic design, branding, print, and digital media. As Creative Director of Designwest Creatives Ltd, he leads design projects for Irish businesses, government departments, and organisations nationwide, from brand identity and publication design to large-scale print campaigns. Explore the portfolio at designwest.ie.
