Camphill Community Glencraig was founded in 1954, when a group of parents and friends of children and adults with special needs acquired a beautiful estate of 100 acres, sloping down to the southern shore of Belfast Lough. Inspired by the work of Dr. König at Camphill, near Aberdeen in Scotland, they had wished to establish a similar place in Northern Ireland. Today, Glencraig is a Community of about 200 people, with its woods, fields and parklands surrounding 19 houses, a school and workshops, with the farm at its heart. There is further farmland at nearby Helen's Bay.

There is a School and Training College for children and young people from 6 up to 19 years and then an adult education programme for those up to 25 years old.

Glencraig also provides a home and meaningful work for adults who need a sheltered environment.

The creation of a healthy therapeutic environment is enhanced, not only by the use of biodynamic agriculture, but also by attention to the environment as a whole. The store provides the Community with many natural whole-foods. The farm and market garden produce milk, meat, vegetables and fruit, without the use of pesticides or artificial fertilisers. The healing of the environment is fundamental to the philosophy of the Community.

Co-workers come from all walks of life and from many different countries. They do not receive wages, the community providing for material needs, which can vary from person to person.

Involvement in all aspects of life is an essential part of community living. Day-to-day events enhance the child's growing knowledge and awareness. Life in the house is carried by all who live in it, covering the necessary tasks, each according to age, ability and skill. Thus, an atmosphere of home and the care of each individual is fostered. Co-workers may take care of a group of children, cook, clean, assist in the classroom, or be employed in a workshop, or out on the land. Learning through work and experience is part of the community ethos, and part of the Training Course in Curative Education and Social Therapy.

In the school, which the children attend daily, learning becomes more specific. Structured lessons help the child to acquire new knowledge and abilities. Educational outings, to nearby Belfast and beyond, help the pupil to integrate into the wider community. The Waldorf Curriculum and Curative Education, both inspired by Rudolf Steiner, combine to meet the needs of the child in school. This method of teaching brings science, art and religion into harmony, allowing the child to develop his potential to the fullest. Teacher, assistant and child, all learn together. Crafts, manual skills and academic lessons play their part in helping the child to grow into a socially mature adult.

A therapeutic approach to the development of the child, and to the continuing care of the adult with special needs, is an important aspect of the community. Specific therapies, as well as regular medical supervision, take place. Art therapy, baths and massage, horse-riding, curative eurythmy, speech, music and play-therapy help both child and adult to master individual difficulties.

There are two resident doctors in the community and also a link with a health centre in nearby Holywood.