INFORMATION ON SUPPORT SERVICES
LEGAL
Legal Aid Board
The Legal Aid Board is responsible for the provision of legal aid and advice on matters of civil law to persons
unable to fund such services from their own resources. The Board’s services are provided by a variety of means
including a network of thirty three full time law centres located throughout the country and a number of other part
time law centres.
Head Office: Quay Street, Cahirciveen, Co. Kerry.
Phone: 066 947 1000 LoCall: 1890 615 200
Fax: 066 947 1035
eMail: info@legalaidboard.ie
Website: www.legalaidboard.ie
Law Society
The Law Society is the educational, representative and regulatory body of the solicitors' profession in Ireland. The
Society is the professional body for its 12,000 solicitor members, to whom it also provides services and support.
To find out contact details for your local solicitor, click on the link attached:
http://www.lawsociety.ie/Pages/Find-a-Firm/
Bar Council
The Bar Council of Ireland is the professional representative body for Barristers in Ireland. The Mission of the
Irish Bar is to provide its clients with the highest level of expertise in all areas of law through skilled advocacy by
professionals of integrity and independence. Further information on the Bar Council is available through
www.lawlibrary.ie
FLAC
FLAC (Free Legal Advice Centres) is an independent human rights organisation dedicated to promoting equal
access to justice for all. The service provides basic general legal information through phone lines at Lo-Call 1890
350 250. It is intended for people who could not otherwise afford to access legal advice.
It provides free legal advice at 72 locations with 85 advice services around Ireland. These free and confidential
legal advice centres are operated by qualified lawyers who volunteer their expertise and time. Remember to call
the centre for an appointment if required.
website www.flac.ie
Family Lawyers Association
The Family Lawyers Association is an association for the family law professionals and its aims and objectives are:
- To promote the highest standards in the practice of family law.
- To seek improvements in legislative provisions and administrative procedures concerning family law.
- To operate as a forum for professionals who practice family law.
- To provide information and education regarding family law and as to how it is administered.
Further information on the Family Lawyers Association is available through www.familylawyers.ie
MEDIATION
Family Mediation Service
The Family Mediation Service is a free, state-run service staffed by professionally trained and accredited
mediators and is part of the Legal Aid Board. The Family Mediation Service (FMS) provides mediators who meet
with the separating couple to facilitate and encourage co-operation with each other in working out mutually
acceptable arrangements on all or any of the following:
> Parenting the children
> Financial support
> Family home & property
> Pensions
> Other issues related to the separation
The service is also available for individuals that have never lived together but have a child between them, and for
disputes between family members
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INFORMATION ON SUPPORT SERVICES
There are currently 16 offices located around the country: 4 full-time, 12 part-time. The contact details for your
local office of the FMS are available through the following link:
http://www.legalaidboard.ie/lab/publishing.nsf/Content/Family_Mediation_Service_Contact_us
Dublin Solicitors Bar Association - Meditators
This is a group of Resolution and MII accredited mediators who are also practising family lawyers. In this sense
they draw on extensive experience and can provide legal information to clients in the mediation process. The
family law mediator does not provide legal advice, however, and clients should ensure to receive independent
legal advice parallel to the process. The family law mediator adopts a neutral role and does not take sides in a
dispute.
DSBA website : www.dsba.ie/mediation
Phone number is : 01 4763824
Email: Maura@dsba.ie
Mediators' Institute of Ireland
The Mediators' Institute of Ireland (the MII) as the professional association for Mediators in the Republic of
Ireland and Northern Ireland promotes the use and practice of quality mediation as a process of dispute resolution.
Practising MII Mediators have a high standard of training and accreditation and we have a long tradition amongst
our members of providing mediation services for separating couples and family disputes.
Information on family mediation can be obtained from
MII, Pavilion House, 31/32 Fitzwilliam Square South, Dublin 2
t: +353 1 609 9190
e: info@themii.ie
Alternatively to find a local MII accredited family mediator click on the following link:
http://www.themii.ie/find-a-mediator.html.
GUARDIANS AD LITEM
Barnardos
Barnardos Guardian ad Litem Service provides children involved in family law proceedings with an independent
voice in court. A Guardian Ad Litem is an experienced and qualified person, with expertise in working with
children who is appointed by the court. A Guardian ad Litem makes the judge aware of the child's wishes and
feelings and also advises on what is in the best interest of the child.
Barnardos cover all areas of Ireland. For more information about the Guardian ad Litem service, contact:
Barnardos, Christchurch Square, Dublin 8
T: 01 453 0355
F: 01 453 0300
E: beacon@barnardos.ie
Barnardos Guardian ad Litem Service, Blackmore House, Meade Street, Cork
T: 021 431 0591
F: 021 431 0691
E: gal@cork.barnardos.ie
One Family
One Family provides a range of services for people who are separating, parenting alone and those sharing
parenting. They work with mums, dads, step-parents, other family members and children of all ages. The
services include parenting courses, parent mentoring, mediated parenting plans, counselling for adults and
adolescents, play therapy for children, back to work courses and an information service. The services are either
free, low cost or on a sliding scale basis. Contact information:
One Family, 2 Lower Pembroke Street, Dublin 2.
www.onefamily.ie
email: info@onefamily.ie
lo-call askonefamily helpline: 1890-66-22-12 or 01-6629212
OPEN
OPEN is the national anti-poverty network of one-parent families. They directly provide information, training
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INFORMATION ON SUPPORT SERVICES
and other supports to lone parents and to local groups. Their member groups also provide similar supports to oneparent families in their communities. A number of their groups also provide child & family counselling, court
accompaniment and specific programmes for young parents.
OPEN National Centre, 7 Red Cow Lane, Smithfield, Dublin 7
t: 353 18148860
f: 353 18148890
e: enquiries@oneparent.ie
www.oneparent.ie
www.facebook.com/weareopen
www.twitter.com/@OPEN_Ireland
Teen Between
Teen Between is a specialised counselling service funded by the Family Support Agency (FSA) designed to help
teenagers cope with their parents’ separation or divorce. Teen Between can also help young adults who have
experienced their parents’ separation during their teenage years.
Freephone number – 1800-303-191
Website: http://www.teenbetween.ie/
Email address: teenbetween@relationshipsireland.com
Parenting When Separated Programme:
In the order to address the challenges of parenting when separated, Parents Plus have developed a six week psychoedcucational course for parents who are preparing for, going through or have gone through a separation or divorce.
Specifically the Parenting when Separated Programme aims to help parents
- Solve co-parenting problems in a positive way that focused on the needs of children.
- Cope with the emotional impact of separation and learn stress management techniques
- Help your children cope with the impact of the separation both emotionally and practically
- Enhance communication with their children and with their children's other parent
Details of a list of agencies around the country who are trained to provide the course is available at
www.parentsplus.ie/separation
Treoir
Treoir is the national information service for unmarried parents, their families and for those working with unmarried
parents. This is a free and confidential service providing comprehensive information on legal rights, for example,
custody, access, guardianship, maintenance and on money matters, for example, social welfare, tax. The information is
available to all unmarried parents cohabiting or not and to both opposite and same sex parents.
LoCall number 1890 252 084
Web: www.treoir.ie
A wide range of publications may be downloaded from the website
Rainbows Ireland
Rainbows is a National Voluntary Support service for children experiencing grief and loss through bereavement,
separation and divorce. It offers training, programmes, policies and procedures to establish peer support groups for
children of a similar age and loss experience in schools and local communities. It is not professional counselling or
therapy. It is trained listeners providing a safe, confidential and caring environment to support children to engage with
and share the feelings, thoughts and individual ways of coping and adapting to loss. Children come to realise that they
are not the only!
Rainbows is a registered charity, funded by the Family Support Agency and is a free service to all children and young
people.
Rainbows Ireland, Loreto Centre, Crumlin, Dublin 12
Website: www.rainbowsireland.com
Email: ask@rainbowsireland.com
Phone : 01 4734175
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