What We Do
Aster Family Support runs a number of home based services which offer supports to families in different ways:
- Our Family Support service offers practical, home based, one-to-one supports to families to help them overcome complex family challenges, and develop the skills and positive networks to successfully navigate family life in the future. Areas of focus can include household hygiene, supporting educational needs, attendance at appointments, supporting families with specific health needs, supporting the re-unification process of families with children in care, helping a family to make more nutritious meals, to spend more positive time together and to achieve their goals.
- Meitheal is a model of practice that will be used when a family or child is involved with or will benefit from more than one type of support to form a ‘team around the child’ and ensure effective collaboration between service providers to meet the needs identified. Aster Family Support runs Meitheals both as part of a Family Support programme or independently depending on the family and child(ren)’s needs and circumstances.
- The Household Assistance programme helps families to manage and maintain the home, ensuring that all the practical things are in place; housing applications or rent allowance is processed, electricity is hooked up and bills are managed, furniture is in place, rooms aren’t too cluttered and unusable, there’s a household budget; all those foundations for a home. It’s generally a specific, targeted and usually short-term intervention that aims for relatively quick changes and positive outcomes for the family.
- Triple P is an evidence based parenting programme that supports parents to learn new skills, develop new strategies and discover new ideas, based around core themes like bedtime routines, dealing with disobedience, managing fighting or aggression and hassle free shopping. Aster Family Support runs both small group and one-to-one sessions of Triple P.
- The Family Resource Centre programme is to combat disadvantage and improve the functioning of the family unit. Aster Family Resource Centre is now based at 1 Georges Square, Balbriggan, Co Dublin.
- To intervene early when difficulties arise in order to prevent problems escalating
- To work in partnership with families, professionals and communities
- To ensure interventions are needs led and strive for minimum intervention.
- To empower families to master the challenges in their lives and strengthen informal support networks
- To recognise that all families have strengths which are unique and depend upon culture, beliefs and socioeconomic status
- To be non-judgmental and work with all families in a respectful way
Principles of Our Services
Our Family Support, Household Assistance and Triple P programmes follow a general set of family support principles which are: