Download Report

When do I need a Meitheal?
If you feel that you are facing a lot of
challenges that are difficult to overcome
and you need some help then you may
need a support person to organise a
Meitheal for you.
Examples of the challenges
that a Meitheal could help with
are problems at school, feeling
down, not getting on with your
parents, maybe a mix of health
and social problems.
You may already be receiving support
from lots of services but you are finding it
difficult to deal with all of them and to get
the support that is best for you. If you look
at what you need with the support person
and your parents or carers this may help
you to better understand what you need.
You may also find at that point that there
is no need to proceed with the Meitheal. If
so, then you can choose not to proceed.
important that you as well as your parent/
carer fully understand all the different
parts of the process that your parent/carer
is giving consent to. You should ask your
parent/carer or the person who would like
to be your families’ Lead Practitioner if
there is any part of the process that you
don’t understand.
How can I access a support person
and a Meitheal?
If you already go to any kind of child and
family service you can ask someone you
know at that service to be your Lead
Practitioner and to organise a Meitheal.
If you are interested in finding out more
about Meitheal and/or you do not know
anyone who can be your support person
you should contact your local Child and
Family Support Network Coordinator
whose details are given in the below.
The Child and Family Support Network
Coordinator for the ___________________
area is: Name: ______________________________
What am I agreeing to when I get
a Meitheal?
Address: ____________________________
Phone: ______________________________
The Meitheal process starts with a form
called the Meitheal Request Form, where
your parent/carer gives consent to
various parts of the Meitheal process. By
considering Meitheal your parent/carer is
deciding that they would like support that
will stop current challenges from getting
any worse for you. Preventing problems
from arising or getting worse is better
than dealing with them later. It is very
Email: ______________________________
General information on support services in
your area can be got from: Web: _______________________________
DO YOU
NEED SOME
SUPPORT?
The Tusla Meitheal Model is
about ensuring that the needs
of children and young people
like you are identified and
understood and responded to
in a timely way so that children
and young people get the
help and support needed to
do as well as you can in life.
Meitheal also focuses on your
strengths, which means the
people working with you are
always interested in what you
are good at and what is going
well for you.
Meitheal has been developed by
Tusla, the Government Child and
Family Agency, but it involves
parents and the people and
services in your locality that play a
role in the lives of children, young
people and their families, working
together to help children and
young people.
This is an information leaflet
for children and young people
about a new support model,
available throughout Ireland,
called Meitheal, that may be
able to help you and your
family get the help you need,
easily, locally and when you
need it.
The kinds of services that might be
involved in Meitheal are schools,
youth services, family resource
centres, medical services and
others like these.
Meitheal uses the My World Triangle so
that a supportive person from one of the
child and family services in your local area,
called a Lead Practitioner, can sit down
with you and your parent/s and help you
to identify your needs and then put a plan
in place to help you.
Depending on what you decide with
that person you may need one particular
service, no service, or you may need a
group of services to come together to
provide you with the support you need
to improve the well-being of your family.
If you do need coordinated support then
the Lead Practitioner will arrange with you
to access that support but only with your
agreement. With your consent you can
then receive a Meitheal.
What is a Meitheal?
A Meitheal means that you get to develop
a plan, with a support person, to get the
help you need. You participate in putting
that plan into action and in reviewing it
and in deciding when you feel your needs
have been met.
Meitheal is an old Irish term that describes how neighbours come together to
help harvest crops or other tasks.