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The Young Parents Support Programme is the only targeted community-based support service for teen parents – mothers and fathers – in Ireland.
We work mainly with young people who become parents when they are aged 24 years or under and support them during pregnancy and right through the first 1000 days of their child’s life. Some parents who are older than this may also be supported depending on their circumstances.
The TPSP is currently available at 11 locations throughout the country. Young people may make contact directly with the TPSP or anyone interested in the welfare of the young parent and his/her child may make contact on their behalf.
TPSP staff actively seeks to engage with young fathers and encourage and support them to be involved in the lives of their children. They also provides support to grandparents and other family members who play a role in the life of the young parent.
In 1989 the Home Youth Liaison Service, HYLS for short, was born out of locally identified need to support young people who had difficulties in school, home or their community.
The HYLS is a dynamic youth service supporting all post primary schools in Sligo/Leitrim/West Cavan and providing support in primary school where the need arises. The service also has four youth workers attached to the four social work teams, 2 CCA (Community Care Alternatives Youth Workers) 1 HYLO with special focus on providing ASD Support and 2 Project Workers for the Young Parent Support Programme.
We offer a one stop, wraparound support addressing individual need.
We have a strong reputation as an immediate integrated response and an emergency support service. We work to negate negative outcomes by befriending and building rapport with young people and their parents/carers.
To provide a sympathetic, confidential, nonjudgemental and personal support to young people and their families with the objective of enhancing the young person’s future personal and social development and their well-being.
There are 5 Home Youth Liaison Officers in the HYLS. The aim of their work is to provide confidential and non-judgmental support to students and their families with the objective of enhancing the students well-being, social development and future potential.
The fully qualified officers are assigned to every post-primary school in counties Sligo & Leitrim, where they provide guidance and support to students that have referred to the service through the school management, teachers, parents/guardians, self referral or any other relevant agency. They provide a link between the family, school, and other relevant voluntary/statutory agencies. All officers are members of the school pastoral care teams.
The officers provide a safe space for students within their school to talk about any concerns, issues or worries that they may be experiencing eg: school challenges, relationships, social challenges, alcohol/ drug issues, anxiety/mental health difficulties and much more. Careful, considered and evidence-based advice will be given by the officer and signposting to external services will be made and supported where needed. As well as providing one-to-one support, we also deliver many group programmes in schools as required through consultation with the school management team.
We offer a youth support service specifically tailored to individual needs on a one-to-one basis through direct referrals from the Tusla social work network teams in counties Sligo & Leitrim. This is offered to young people aged between 10 -18 years of age (aged 8+ if a sibling aged 10+ has also been referred).
The Youth Support Worker attends Tusla social work team meetings and meets with the individual team leaders to discuss the ongoing partnership.
Following the referral, the Social Worker and Youth Support Worker will meet with the young person and family to discuss the young person’s needs and identify what supports are required in an agreed timeframe. Through regular meetings, emotional and behavioural issues can be addressed in a safe and supportive environment, enabling the young person to make positive life choices.
Our fully qualified social care practitioner complete life story work with the young people. This impartial work allows for the young person to talk about their past, to works through traumas, and help them to make sense of current behaviours or feelings whilst making links with their history.
There are 4 Youth Support Workers and 2 CCA (Community Care Alternatives working predominantly in the evenings and weekends with young people and families with the highest level of need.
This work is used in combined with other programmes such as arts & crafts, sporting and leisure activities, baking and other special interests to assist the young person. The young people can also be linked in with our group based residential weekend activity and summer programmes.
The HYLS has 1 UBU Project Worker that carries out a combination of all the work outlined. UBU Your Place Your Space provides out of school supports to young people. These supports offer a wide range of quality activities, which are mainly community-based. By providing this place and space, UBU aims to enable all young realise their maximum potential. With the introduction of UBU Your Place Your Space the HYLS can continue to move forward with delivering quality, flexible and responsive local youth services in Sligo/ Leitrim and West Cavan through either 1 to 1 or Group Based activities.
Education Programmes
Internet Safety – Mentoring – Transfer programme – Anti-Bullying – Healthy Life Choices – Student Council Training – Decider Skills
Additional Services
Parents Plus – Early Years Adolescents / Working Things Out / Parenting through Separation – NVR – Meitheals
Throughout out the school summer holidays, we provide eight weeks of activity-based programmes plus a camping trip. These programmes use locally based companies in counties Sligo & Leitrim for activities like: kayaking, surfing, archery, high ropes, swimming, cinema, fishing, as well as exploring the stunning local landscapes.
Places are offered each week to 8 different young people referred into our service through Tusla social work or to individual young people who meet in schools with our Youth Liaison Officers, PPFS, Meitheal, and also UBU.
We provide two residential weekends a month during the school academic year in counties Donegal and Cavan. Places are offered to six young people, plus and emergency bed when required, to the young people referred into our service through Tusla social work teams. In addition, places can be offered to individual young people who are referred into our service through the PPFS Meitheal, and also UBU (You be you). This is an initiative funded by the DYCA (Department of Children & Youth Affairs).
This allows them to challenge themselves while making new friends away from their own community environment. The residential weekends also provide valuable respite to parents/foster parents/guardians.
The goal of these activity based residential weekends is to provide young people with a chance to improve their self-esteem and confidence by participating in a range of outdoor and indoor pursuits.
This allows them to challenge themselves while making new friends away from their own community environment.
The residential weekends also provide valuable respite to parents/foster parents/guardians.