How a referral reaches us
depends on the service.
We'd rather tell you the truth than the marketing version. Referral enquiries for our disability and aftercare services come straight to us at referrals@mccare.ie. Referrals to our children's residential services cannot: they must be initiated by the young person's Tusla social worker and progressed through Tusla. All four pathways start with a conversation.
From first conversation
to placement.
A universal four-step pattern sits inside every pathway. It's how the first conversation becomes a young person moving in, regardless of which agency the referral came from.
First call
A confidential conversation about who the young person is, what's needed, and whether McCare is likely to be the right fit. No paperwork required to start.
Visit and meet
We invite you, the family, and (where appropriate) the young person to visit the relevant home, meet the team, and ask the questions that matter.
Plan and agree
We co-write a placement plan with the referring agency, the family and the young person. Goals, supports, medical and education needs, and family contact: one document, signed off by everyone.
Move in and settle
The move is paced. The young person leads. We stay in close contact with the referrer and family through the first weeks and adjust whatever needs adjusting.
The four steps stay the same.
The route in is not.
The universal flow is identical across pathways. What changes is who refers, what they hand us, where the young person ends up, and how long the route in usually takes. One panel per pathway below.
- Route
- Referrals to our children's residential services cannot be made directly to McCare, by members of the public or by anyone else. They must be initiated by the child or young person's Tusla social worker and progressed through Tusla's National Placement Team (NPT), which assesses each young person's needs against available McCare homes.
- What we'll need
- The NPT placement request, the current care plan, safeguarding history where relevant, and any documents the team holds about the young person's family and cultural context.
- Where it lands
- One of our Dublin or Bettystown homes, depending on age, plan, and current capacity. We're happy to talk through likely fit before any paperwork moves.
- Timeline
- Dictated by the NPT process. We move quickly once instructed and aim to walk you through fit on the first call.
- Route
- Again, referrals cannot come directly to McCare. They are initiated by the young person's Tusla social worker and progressed through Tusla's dedicated team for separated children seeking international protection, rather than the general National Placement Team route. That team holds the assessment and matches young people to providers.
- What we'll need
- The Tusla referral pack from the separated-children team, current care plan, and any relevant family, cultural and language context. We'll tell you on the first call exactly what we still need.
- Where it lands
- One of our dedicated homes set up specifically for this cohort. The model, the team, and the approach are the same as in mainstream residential; the homes themselves are configured for the work.
- Timeline
- Dictated by the Tusla pathway. We move quickly once instructed.
- Route
- Disability placements are funded and routed through the HSE. We are typically one of three providers a family is presented with; the choice is theirs after they visit. McCare accepts referral enquiries for disability services directly: requests and supporting information can be submitted to referrals@mccare.ie, ahead of or alongside the formal HSE process.
- What we'll need
- HSE referral documentation, the current support plan, and a clear sense of family circumstances. We'd much rather meet the young person and family early than wait for paperwork.
- Where it lands
- Our disability homes in Swords and Skerries, north County Dublin. We expect to open additional disability services as the team can absorb them. Slow growth, on purpose.
- Timeline
- Three to six weeks is typical from first call to move-in, with the move itself paced to the young person.
- Route
- McCare accepts referral enquiries for aftercare directly. Leaving-care teams, aftercare social workers, and young people themselves can reach out: requests and supporting information go to referrals@mccare.ie, or call +353 87 382 9533, which is the fastest route. We treat self-referrals from young people with exactly the same seriousness as referrals from a worker.
- What we'll need
- The leaving-care plan if there is one, your sense of the young person's current stability and what they're looking for. If there is no plan yet, that's a conversation we can help start.
- Where it lands
- The hybrid Swords arrangement, alongside our developing prep-for-leaving-care work. We do not push timelines on a young person who isn't ready to leave care.
- Timeline
- Often within two weeks. Sooner if the situation requires it; we'll tell you honestly what we can do.
Send a message.
We'll pick up the call.
This form is for general enquiries, not a referral submission. Disability and aftercare referral requests and supporting information go to referrals@mccare.ie. Sensitive details belong on a secure call, not in a web form. A senior team member reads every message and aims to come back within two working days.
Direct contact
Email
admin@mccare.iePhone
+353 87 382 9533Where we work
All of Ireland
Common questions
What referrers ask us most often before they make the first call.