Meitheal
What is Meitheal?
Meitheal is a Tusla-led early intervention national practice model. It identifies a child’s and their families needs and strengths and brings together a team around the child to deliver preventative support.
Meitheal is a voluntary service and is led by you and your child or young person and you decide how long you want to receive this support.
Meitheal is an old Irish term that “describes how neighbours would come together to assist in the saving of crops or other tasks.” It is a coordinated, multi-agency approach which aims to ensure that interventions maximise families’ dignity, autonomy and self-determination.
The aim of Meitheal is to achieve better outcomes for your family and your child or young person.
Meitheal can support families with a range of challenges, such as
- Additional needs,
- Illness or bereavement
- Difficult behaviour
- Challenges at school or school attendance
- Feeling down
- Supporting your relationship with your child
You may already be receiving support from various services but can find it difficult to manage it all at once, Meitheal can support you to coordinate services and bring everyone together.
If you don’t have a service yet – contact a Family Resource Centre or the Kilkenny Parent Hub worker who can point you in the right direction.
How it works:
- Your family will have a supportive person called a Lead Practitioner who may be chosen by you.
- Your Lead Practitioner will help you and your child to identify your child’s strengths and needs.
- The next step is your Lead Practitioner will arrange a Meitheal support meeting where you and your child will help put a plan in place.
- Everyone will support you to follow your plan to make the changes you and your child want in their life.
- You, your child and your family will decide how long you want this support for.
Check out the leaflets for more information
Meitheal leaflet for young people