Please familiarise yourself with our application criteria and process below. If you need any help, please contact our Helpline on 1800 400 478 and we will guide you through the process.
Who can apply?
- We will accept a referral from you or your family member or carer or professional working on your behalf, providing there is evidence of an Acquired Brain Injury. When we receive your form, we consult your medical records to obtain further information about the nature of your brain injury.
- Generally, you must be aged 18 and above. Some strands of our services are limited to those under 65 years, this is because of funding restrictions and service appropriateness. Any age restrictions will be outlined clearly with you.
- You must be medically stable – Headway does not administer or monitor any invasive medical procedures (e.g. feeding tubes, Foley catheters, injections etc.).
- You must be motivated and able to engage with the process of rehabilitation.
- When we have established the evidence of ABI from your medical history or other sources, we invite you and a family member, carer, partner or other person who knows you well for an initial appointment with us. This is your chance to say what type of help you are looking for and our chance to meet you and establish how best we will be able to help you. We encourage you to discuss any concerns with us, and our services will be fully explained to you and you will have an opportunity to ask any questions at a Needs Assessment.
- Headway provides services for people whose main difficulty is their or their loved one’s brain injury and associated recovery. Each referral will be considered individually, but we do not usually work with people whose main difficulties are not related to their brain injury. Where the main difficulty is not clear from the referral form, we will invite you to attend a Needs Assessment and the decision regarding the most appropriate service(s) will be made following this assessment.
- Some people have complex needs which mean that our rehabilitation services are not necessarily appropriate. Where your needs are better met in another service (e.g. addiction treatment programme, mental health services, intellectual disability service, older adult/dementia service), we will provide you with information about appropriate agencies. In this situation, you may engage with Headway again in the future as soon as you are able to benefit fully from rehabilitation.
Application forms
Services in Dublin and the surrounding areas
(for people with Brain Injury)
Download the application form in pdf.
Application/Referral form (Dublin)
Services in the Mid West Region
(Clare, Limerick, North Tipperary – for people with Brain Injury)
To ensure that your needs are appropriately met with the correct service, with your permission, the information on this form will be shared with the Mid West Referrals Committee. This committee is comprised of representatives from Headway, HSE, Acquired Brain Injury Ireland (ABII) and the Community Neuro Rehabilitation Team (CRT). The purpose of this committee is to ensure that your needs are met with the correct service, which may be through any or a combination of the agencies listed.
Application/Referral form (Mid West)
Services in the Southern Region
(Cork and Kerry for people with Brain Injury)
Download the form in pdf format.
Application/Referral form (Southern)
Services for Family Members
(all regions)
Download the form in pdf format.