Refer a Family

Aster Family Support’s office hours are Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm. Our services hours are flexible and based on the needs of the families that we work with.

Self Referrals & Expression of Interest

In general, only the Household Assistance and Triple P programmes are open to families looking to refer themselves to Aster Family Support services. This can be done by completing the relevant Referral form or calling our office on (01) 516 1146 to discuss the programmes in more detail. If you need support in completing the referral form one of our team will be in touch to follow up with next steps. We can only accept cases to the Household Assistance and Triple P programmes that fall under the remit of these services and from families based within the specific catchment area where Aster Family Support works.

Referrals from Professionals

Referrals for Family Support, Triple P and Household Assistance are accepted from Tusla (the Child & Family Agency), public health nurses, school, CAMHS, GPs and other local health professionals, the local office of the Department of Social Protection, and other agencies working with families.

Step 1 – All Referrals

Every referral received will be reviewed by a Manager within Aster Family Support and the referrer will be contacted by the manager to discuss the case and individual needs of the family. A request will be sent to Tusla clarifying whether the family currently has a case open to social work and this response will be recorded by Aster Family Support.

Step 2(A) – Household Assistance & Triple P Referrals

Referrals accepted for Household Assistance and Triple P will be assigned to a Family Support worker at a monthly meeting and they’ll make direct contact with the family to start services or provide information on upcoming Triple P opportunities.

Step 2(B) – Family Support Referrals

Referrals for Family Support will be brought to a monthly Allocations meeting. The Allocations meetings are chaired by the Principal Social Worker (for Prevention, Partnership and Family Support from TUSLA) and will include Family Support Coordinators, Aster Family Support and the CFSN/Meitheal Co-ordinators . The Allocations meetings are held once per month and allocate to the appropriate agency and service.

Those cases allocated to Aster Family Support’s programmes will be assigned a Family Support worker who will engage with the referrer and family to commence services. Aster Family Support will inform the original referrer where cases have been allocated to if they are allocated outside of Aster Family Support’s support programmes.

Aster Family Support is responsible for receiving all family support referrals for the HSE Dublin North area. The referrals will be screened and allocated during regular Allocations meetings (second Tuesday of every month) following the process as outlined above.

Referrals for Family Support that reference a Meitheal as a potential next step will first follow the referral process for Family Support services as below and if deemed suitable for the Meitheal process will be allocated to the CFSN/Meitheal Co-Ordinator.

The Meitheal model was developed to ensure that local services, community groups, and professionals work together with parents to give children and young people the best possible start. Meitheal enables practitioners in different organisations and agencies to communicate and work together effectively, with a Lead Practitioner who will support the family in identifying their child’s and their family’s strengths and needs, and then bring together a “team around the child”.

Aster Family Support actively identifies families for whom Meitheal may be helpful and will support families through this process. All referrals for Family Support will be screened as to their suitability for engagement in a Meitheal and where appropriate this service will be offered. Where the Meitheal process identifies our Family Support programme as being a relevant service for that family, we will assign them a dedicated Family Support worker who will support the family through the Meitheal process. Meitheal is a voluntary process and is led by the family, with support from the Lead Practitioner, all processes and information are shared with the consent of the parents.

Meitheal’s work best to prevent problems arising or getting worse. During the Meitheal process, if a concern arises related to child protection, a referral will be made to the Social Work Service and the Meitheal will be put on hold or cease.

Visit the Tusla website for further information.

Referral Partners