East County Galway Family Services

Who We Are

East County Galway Family Services are made up of 2 teams covering the Loughrea and Ballinasloe Areas. The teams are made up of Family Services staff who work with children and families to try to support them at difficult times.

We recognise that every family is unique and that all families need support at certain times. We work with families with children from birth to 18 years. We provide a service to children and their families within their own homes and communities to build on their strengths and overcome difficulties. We are open Monday to Friday from 9am to 5.30pm and also outside of these times by appointment in order to suit a family’s needs.

The areas we cover from Ballinasloe town include Ballinasloe town, Castleblakney, Caltra, Ahascragh, Laurencetown, Eyrecourt and Ballymacward. The areas we cover from Loughrea town include Loughrea town, Portumna, killimor, Woodford, Abbey, Cappataggle and Ballymacward.

What We Do

Work directly with children and young people at individual and group levels Provide support to parents and guardians through home visits, individual support and group work programmes Provide information and advice to children, young people and parents/ guardians when required Act as an advocate for children, young people and parents/guardians when necessary Organise family-led interagency meetings including Meitheal to develop an action plan and promote the best outcomes for children and young people

-Meitheal is a national practice model designed to ensure that the needs and strengths of children and their families are effectively identified, understood and responded to in a timely way so that children and families get the help and support needed to improve children’s outcomes and realise their rights. It is an early intervention, multi-agency (when necessary) response, tailored to the needs of an individual child or young person.

– Meitheal is used in partnership with parents to help them share their own knowledge, expertise and concerns about their child and to hear the views of practitioners working with them. The ultimate goal is to enable parents and practitioners to work together to achieve a better life for the child. Meitheal is voluntary and can only be undertaken when the parent/carer provides their written consent

How We Do It

Intensive Family work and home-based support is offered to parents and families who are experiencing difficult times. Many families also can attend programmes tailored to suit their needs, some of which include: • Parenting Programmes • Parent and Toddler Group • Individual and group work programmes dealing with issue-specific topics, for example, anger management, bullying, self-esteem and self-confidence building etc. • Access to Nutrition and Cookery courses • Developmental Play

We offer support through Home visits, weekly / daily contact and also assist parents to access and engage in other services, with referral onto other supports where appropriate. We are available to attend meetings with or on behalf of families.

Who We Serve

Family Services works with children, young people and their families who are experiencing difficulties at home, school or in the community. We can work with parents alone or work with the whole family. Our work can be individual and focused on one family member if that is what is required or in a group setting with other adults or children.

Appropriate referrals for families with children under 18 who live in our catchment area can be accepted.

Families and Referrers can contact the service to enquire about support.

Families are very welcome to refer themselves and to talk to us to see if we can offer any help or assistance.

Ballinasloe Office:

Ballinasloe Health Centre,
Brackernagh,
Ballinasloe,
County Galway.

The Health Centre is located on the way into Ballinasloe from Galway between the Hospital and the Fair Green with a car park in front. Google Map Link.

Loughrea Office:

Loughrea Primary Care Centre,
St. Brendan’s Campus,
Lake Road,
Loughrea,
Co. Galway.

The Primary Care Centre is in St. Brendan’s in the Old Nursing Home Building. It is on the Woodford Road leaving Loughrea with the entrance immediately on your left at the traffic lights. Google Map Link.

Quick Reference

Name:
East County Galway Family Services

Address:
See above for offices in Ballinasloe and Loughrea

0909-646223 (Ballinasloe)

091-872724 (Loughrea)

Is a Referral Required? No

Socials

Opening & Closing
Monday	9:00	5:30
Tuesday	9:00	5:30
Wednesday	9:00	5:30
Thursday	9:00	5:30
Friday	9:00	5:00
Saturday
Sunday
Drop in hours on Tuesday 10:00 – 13:00.

Event Name:	Venue:	Aimed at:	Date/Time:	Description:
Incredible Years Parenting	Ballinasloe	Parents	February – TBC	Parenting Programme suitable for Parents of children from pre-school age to age 10. Venue and start date TBC
PEEP (Peer Learning Together Programme)	Ballinasloe	Parents and toddlers	Ongoing in school year	Runs in the Library each week on a Thursday from 11:30 – 12:30. For parents and small children aged 0 – 3 years. Programme to help parent’s and children learn together through play
Children’s Group	Loughrea Primary Care Centre, St. Brendan’s Loughrea	\children in Primary School	TBC, Starting January 2018	Children’s social skills group – various activities to promote children’s social and emotional development through activities such as art and crafts and games.

See above for link to Google Maps With Locations

East County Galway Family Services

Who We Are

What We Do

How We Do It

Who We Serve

Quick Reference

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