Please familiarise yourself with our referral criteria and process below. See also our Commonly Asked Questions page for professionals. Should you need further clarification, please contact our Information and Support staff on 1800 400 478 during office hours.
Referral Criteria:
- Headway provides services for people whose main difficulty is their, or their loved one’s, acquired brain injury (ABI) and associated recovery. We include Stroke within our definition of ABI. For a detailed list of conditions we work with or exclude, view our page on Presenting Conditions
- The minimum age of clients we work with is 18. Most of our services are available to people aged 18 – 65 years. This is because of funding restrictions. However, some of our services are open to people aged 65 years and over. Please contact our Information and Support team on 1800 400 478 if you are over 65 and seeking services for yourself or if you wish to refer someone of that age.
- The person with the brain injury must be medically stable. Headway staff do not administer injections or monitor any invasive medical devices (e.g. feeding tubes, Foley catheters, etc.).
- Applicants must be motivated and able to engage with the process of rehabilitation.
- Headway provides services for people whose main difficulty is their or their loved one’s brain injury and associated recovery. We consider each referral individually. 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 request further information. We may still invite the applicant to attend a Needs Assessment. We will make the decision regarding the most appropriate service(s) following this assessment.
- Some people have complex needs which mean that our rehabilitation services are not necessarily appropriate. Where the needs of the person applying are better met in another service (eg addiction treatment programme, mental health services, intellectual disability service, older adult/dementia service), we will provide the applicant (or their supporter) with information about appropriate service providers. In this situation, it may be possible for the applicant to re-engage with Headway in the future as soon as they are able to benefit fully from rehabilitation.
The Referral Process
- Using one of the application forms below, the person seeking service must complete the details and indicate their consent for us to process their application.
- We will seek evidence of an Acquired Brain Injury. When we receive a form for someone with an acquired brain injury, we consult the medical records to obtain further information about the nature of their brain injury.
- When we have established the evidence of ABI from the applicant’s medical history or other sources, we invite them and a family member or other support person who knows them well, for an initial Needs Assessment appointment with us. This provides the applicant with an opportunity to tell us what challenges they are experiencing and the type of supports they are looking for. It is also our chance to meet them and talk about what services may suit. We encourage applicants, and family members, to ask questions and talk about any concerns they may have.
Application forms
| Services in Dublin for adults with a brain injury | Referral form (Dublin area) |
| Services in the Mid-West (Clare, Limerick, North Tipperary) for adults with a brain injury | Referral form Mid-West To ensure that the applicant’s needs are appropriately met with the correct service, with their permission, we will share the information on this form 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 the applicant’s needs are met with the correct service, which may be through any, or a combination of, the agencies listed. |
| Services in Co Cork and Co Kerry for adults with a brain injury | Referral form Cork / Kerry |
| Services for adult family members of someone with a brain injury (South, Mid-West and Dublin) | Family Member Referral form (adults) |