Aftercare

In 1999 Smyly Trust Services established an Aftercare Service catering for young adults making the transition from residential & foster care to adulthood, in Dublin South, Dublin south East & Wicklow (Tusla, Child & Family Agency). Our service provides advice, guidance and support to these young adults at this vulnerable stage in their lives.

Our service also promotes experiential learning and thereby strives to develop strong alliances with service users to assist in developing their confidence and competence in a range of social contexts. Each of our service users are provided with an individual needs assessment, and an agreed Aftercare plan is tailored to meet these identified needs.

There are three main components of our Aftercare Service; Accommodation, Outreach and Drop-In.

Our accommodation comprises of a two bedroom fully furnished flat in the centre of Dun Laoghaire. This accommodation is on rent from Dun Laoghaire / Rathdown County Council. Care leavers wishing to avail of this service must have the willingness and the capacity to benefit from a preparation programme on offer to residents of “the flat”. Residency agreements are provided to cover the 12 – 18 month tenancy. Our accommodation service provides the service users with a level of structure and support, which enables and empowers them to acquire the necessary skills for eventual independent living.

We also have a dedicated outreach service to support our service users in meeting their comprehensively assessed needs, i.e. sourcing suitable / affordable accommodation, tenancy sustainment, educational / training grants and allowances and linking in with other relevant professionals. Our outreach programme also facilitates weekly individual sessions to assess progress on the service user’s Aftercare plan.

Located in central Dun Laoghaire, our drop-In service provides information, advice, guidance and support, as well as advocating on a range of issues for former care leavers. These issues include; welfare rights, job seeking, accommodation, C.V preparation and phone and computer access. Our drop-in centre also provides an office base for Aftercare staff.

Smyly’s Aftercare Service receives their referrals through the Aftercare Centralised Referral Committee. This committee (ACRC) meets every six – eight weeks approximately to consider referrals from social workers in Dublin South, Dublin South East and Wicklow. Aftercare Services are available to care leavers who have been in receipt of state care for 12 consecutive months prior to their sixteenth and or eighteenth birthday, (for eligibility and referral criteria refer to the National Policy on Aftercare 2011). Referrals to the Aftercare Centralised Referral Committee, should be made by the young person’s social worker on reaching their sixteenth birthday.

Address: Smyly’s Aftercare Service
Northumberland Chambers
Northumberland Ave,
Dun Laoghaire.
Co. Dublin.

Tel / Fax / Email: 01 – 230 2546 / 01 – 230 1892

aftercare@smylytrust.ie
outreach@smylytrust.ie