Organisations Supporting Children and Families

Contact numbers for Support for Children and Families.

 

  1. Advice and information for children generally and young people is available from the Ombudsman for Children’s Office.
  2. The Children's Rights Alliance Helpline is for children, young people and their families or people who are working with them to access legal information. The Helpline - 01 9020494 is open Monday 10am -2pm, Wednesday 2pm -7pm and Friday 10am -12pm or you can email help@childrensrights.ie.
  3. Childline is open every day and is for all children and young people up to the age of 18 in Ireland. You can talk with Childline in confidence, about anything that might be on your mind, and they will listen and you to figure out the best solution for you. They work to empower, support and protect young people every day. You don't have to have a problem to talk to Childline.  You can contact Childline for free any time of the day or night by calling 1800 66 66 66. You can also chat live on the website, or, if you prefer to text, you can contact Childline by sending a text to 50101.
  4. Barnardos continues to provide supports for parents, children and families during the Covid 19 crisis, which includes practical support, safety planning, establishing and maintaining routines, managing behaviour, support in managing crises, understanding and managing the emotional impact of Covid, supporting the completion of school work, compiling and distributing food, supplies and activity packs. More details here. A national Covid 19 Parenting Support Line has been established staffed by Project Workers between 10am and 2pm Monday - Friday and can be contacted at 1800 910 123, further details here.
  5. Tusla provide the Parenting24seven website provides key messages on what works best for children and families at different ages and stages. You can choose your child’s age range or look through the different articles provided on the site.
  6. One Family have created a very helpful list of the contact details of the dedicated support hubs have been established nationwide for vulnerable people. They also provide a Budget 2021 Factsheet: Key updates which may impact on one-parent families. For more information call 01 622 9212 (10am-1pm, 2pm-3.30pm Monday- Friday) or email support@onefamily.ie
  7. One Family continues to provide its range of services - Helpline, Information Services, Parenting Supports, Educational Courses, Early Years’ Service and Counselling Services. It has suspended its group and face-to-face services and are operating in new ways, full details here.
  8. Details of specialist domestic violence support services which operate in every county in Ireland can be found on http://www.safeireland.ie. The national freephone helpline for women is operated by Women’s Aid on 1800 341 900 and the freephone Male Advice Line is 1800 816 588.
  9. The HSE has created a dedicated webpage with a range of supports for mental health issues arising during the Covid 19 crisis.
  10. The Samaritans offer a 24-hour telephone support service for anyone in distress or struggling to cope – dial freephone 116123
  11. Jigsaw currently offers online support to parents, carers and young people through Live Group Chats . These are live discussions online moderated by a Jigsaw Clinician, information is available at jigsawonline.ie
  12. Pieta House offers telephone and text-based support services to anyone contemplating or engaging in self harm. Their 24-hour Freephone number is 1800 247 247.
  13. YourMentalHealth.ie offers information and signposting on all mental health supports and services that are available locally and nationally.
  14. Alone provide a Covid-19 support line for older people, which operates from 8am to 8pm, seven days a week – 0818 222 024 or visit their website.
  15. The offices of the Irish Foster Care Association remain open and during the Covid 19 crisis can be contacted at 01 459 9474. Their regular helpline remains open at 01 458 5123. Barnardos Post Adoption Service will be offering support to foster carers during the Covid Crisis at fosteringsupport@barnardos.ie. You can also access their IFCA Conference 2020 online which will provide workshops for both adults and children.
  16. EPIC have a dedicated Advocacy Phone Support line for Children in Care and Care Leavers: 01 9631272 and is open from Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm. EPIC advises anybody who would like a call back to send a private message on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram and ask for a call back from an Advocacy Officer. EPIC has also produced a dedicated Covid 19 explanatory document for children.
  17. The Legal Aid Board has a dedicated Legal and Mediation information helpline on lo-call 1890 615 200 or 01 646 9600, Monday to Friday 10am-12.30pm and from 2pm-4pm.
  18. FLAC has developed on its website, multiple resources providing advice in respect of a range of issues that people will face during the Covid crisis.
  19. Information about court sittings, adjournments and cancellations can be found at http://www.courts.ie/
  20. Details on State income support during the Covid-19 Pandemic is available here.
  21. Empowerment Plus provides one to one support with the young person in crisis, 24/7 on call service, supervised access support. More information here: http://www.empowermentplus.ie

Family Law Resources during COVID-19

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