Request an Advocate
EPIC’s National Advocacy Service is available to children and young people in the care of Tusla, those in aftercare services, and to children and young people with care-experience up to the age of 26*.
This includes children and young people living in:
- Tusla operated and private residential care homes
- General or relative foster care placements
- Special care units
- Children’s detention centres
- And Section 5 cases
*An exception to this is advocacy support for care-experienced people over the age of 26 who require assistance with requesting their care files under the Freedom of Information Act.
Before making your request, please see which option is best for you.
Request an EPIC Advocate for a one-to-one direct advocacy service
An EPIC Advocate is an independent professional who directly supports a child or young person. A request for an EPIC Advocate can be made by a child or young person themselves (self-referral) or by professionals or parents/guardians on their behalf. The advocacy work will not proceed without the consent of the child or young person it relates to.
Please note: If you are making a request for an Advocate on behalf of more than one child or young person, you must submit a referral form for each child/young person.
Request an information session about EPIC to learn and understand more about our services
Information sessions can be requested for a child or young person, a group of children and young people, or for professionals and agencies working with and supporting children and young people in care. In these sessions, which can be held in-person or online, we will explain what EPIC does and services we provide, and what an EPIC Advocate can do to support or assist a child or young person.
All requests are reviewed on a weekly basis. Once allocated, an EPIC Advocate will respond within two weeks to schedule a time to speak over the phone or meet in person or online.
If you have any questions in relation to making a request for an Advocate or an information session about EPIC, or if you have any difficultly using the form or making your request, please contact us on 01 8727661 or email info@epiconline.ie.