Assessment Consultation Therapy Service (ACTS)

ACTS is a small national specialised clinical service that provides multidisciplinary consultation, assessment and focused interventions to young people who have high risk behaviours associated with complex clinical needs.  ACTS also supports other professionals in their ongoing work with young people and their families.

Select an option below to find out more about the ACTS service:

Who are we?                                             Back to top

A national multidisciplinary clinical team who work for the  Child and Family Agency consisting of:

• Counsellors with expertise in substance misuse
• Psychologists
• Social Workers
• Social Care Workers
• Speech and Language Therapists

What do we do?                                       Back to top

We offer on-site therapeutic services to young people placed in secure settings in Ireland (special care units and the children detention schools) on an in reach basis. We also offer some services in the community for young people at significant risk. This is done by continuing involvement with young people following secure care placements when their needs exceed the threshold of community services. Additionally we offer team based consultation around young people who have been referred to secure care or have previously been placed in secure settings.

Because we are a national service ACTS can support young people when they return to community settings to help them to re-engage with local mainstream services as appropriate.

Who do we work with?                             Back to top

The collaborative nature of our work is critical.

We work with

• young people
• residential staff
• families/carers
• local area social workers
• school staff
• others as appropriate, to meet the needs of the young person.

How is ACTS different to existing services?

We are a multidisciplinary service with clinicians trained and experienced in working with young people and families who may be hesitant to engage with professionals.

ACTS flexible model allows clinicians to continue working for some time with young people when they move from special care placements and detention.

Where do we work?                                Back to top

ACTS is based in Dublin with regional teams in Limerick and Cork. Our offices are based at

Where do we work with the young people?

The therapeutic team spend significant time in the residential units to build relationships with young people and residential care staff. In this way our teams aim to ensure that intervention is embedded in day to day life in these placements. Clinicians also work from their base offices or meet young people/families in the community.

What does our service include?                Back to top

Our services may include the following:

Assessment - To get to know:

• What are the young person's needs, strengths and difficulties 
• What the young person would like to improve
• What are the concerns for the young person
• What difficulties led to their admission 

Consultation - Discussion/Advice 

• Information gathering 
• Monitoring progress
• Problem solving
• Parent/Staff support 

Therapy - Intervention/ Supportive Action

• Individual work
• Group work
• Family Work
• Indirect work and support to others who work with the young people

Training & Information       

• To support and provide information to those working with the young person

What are the roles of our Team Members?        

ACTS functions as a multidisciplinary team where clinicians from various disciplines work together and inform collective practice.

The advantage of having these different disciplines working together is that each discipline has its own lens through which to view and understand a young persons and the circumstances that led them to need this level of care.  The process of combining the different views, provided by each discipline, allows for a much richer and more complete view of the young person and their difficulties.  

Each young person’s situation is unique and we take account of these needs when offering a service.

This means that the nature of the intervention provided for each person will vary according to the young person’s unique circumstances and needs. 

What can you expect from us?            Back to top

• A professional service that places the young person's best interest first 
• A service that respects young people and their wishes 
• Joint decision making with the young person and all those involved with him/her
• A service that is focused on individual needs
• A service that keeps families informed 
• A team that respects local expertise 
• A team that understands and appreciates the complexities of delivering services to young people that me be hesitant to engage with professionals