Supports and Services

Supports and Services

There a number of organisation who offer a range of services from information to practical supports that can help you during your stay in hospital and when you leave. 

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Barnardos

Barnardos provides services for children, families and communities, to transform the lives of vulnerable children affected by adverse childhood experiences. Barnardos also provide a Children’s Bereavement Service.

BelongTo

BeLonG To Youth Services is the national organisation supporting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI+) young people in Ireland.

Bodywhys

Bodywhys is the national organisation dedicated to offering support, information and understanding for people affected by eating disorders, including family and carers. The helpline offers a non-judgemental and confidential support and information service. Bodywhys also offers support groups, an online support group and email support.

CARI (Children at Risk Ireland)

CARI provides therapy for children and young people who have been affected by child sexual abuse. CARI also provides information, support and counselling to non-abusing parents, carers and siblings.

Childline

Gives support to young people through a freephone 24 hour, 365 days a year listening service and the online chat function on the website. All calls are free of charge and confidential.

Jigsaw

Provides mental health counselling, advice and support – online and in person – for young people aged 12 to 25 years old, and for parents or concerned adults.

LGBT Ireland

LGBT Ireland offers support for the LGBTI+ community – by phone, instant messaging or at peer support groups.

Mental Health Commission

The work that the Mental Health Commission does includes regulating inpatient mental health services and setting standards for high quality and good practices across mental health services (both public and private).

As mentioned in "How do I speak my mind?", it doesn’t have the legal powers to investigate or resolve individual complaints. But if you have specific concerns about the health, wellbeing or safety of a person in hospital you can email concerns@mhcirl.ie

Ombudsman for Children

The Office of the Ombudsman for Children is a human rights institution and works to protect the rights of children and young people in Ireland. It investigates complaints about services provided to children by public organisations.

To make a complaint to the Office of the Ombudsman for Children about a public hospital:

Pieta

Pieta provides a free crisis counselling service for people who are feeling suicidal or are self-harming or have lost someone to suicide. Therapists are friendly, welcoming and will listen to you in a safe, non-judgemental space and work through whatever is worrying you.

Samaritans

Samaritans provides confidential, non-judgemental emotional support, 24 hours a day for people who are experiencing feelings of distress or despair, including those which could lead to suicide. They offer their service by telephone, email and face-to-face in most of their branches.

Spunout.ie

Spunout.ie’s text message support service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They provide in-the-moment anonymous support and problem-solving when you need it most.

Teenline

The ISPCC operates Teenline, a national active listening service for children and young people up to the age of 18 in Ireland. The service is free to contact and is confidential, non-directive and non-judgmental.

Youth Advocate Programmes (YAP) Ireland

YAP provides independent mental health advocacy services to a number of the adolescent inpatient units and community teams in Ireland.

Your Service, Your Say

You can make a formal complaint against a HSE-run service by using the HSE’s complaints service which is called ‘Your Service, Your Say’. You can contact them by:

Teenline

The ISPCC operates Teenline, a national active listening service for children and young people up to the age of 18 in Ireland. The service is free to contact and is confidential, non-directive and non-judgmental.

Youth Advocate Programmes (YAP) Ireland

YAP provides independent mental health advocacy services to a number of the adolescent inpatient units and community teams in Ireland.

Your Service, Your Say

You can make a formal complaint against a HSE-run service by using the HSE’s complaints service which is called ‘Your Service, Your Say’. You can contact them by: