How Day Services Work

A plain-English guide for people, families and services.

Adult day services support people with disabilities to live the life they choose during the day: learning, working, connecting with others and being part of their community. Having spent years supporting and managing day services, here's my simple guide to how HSE-funded adult day services work in Ireland.

What are day services?

HSE-funded adult day services follow New Directions, the national policy for day services. Instead of everyone doing the same group activities, supports are built around each person: what matters to them, their goals and the life they want to live.

New Directions is built on four core values:

  • Person-centredness: supports shaped around the individual.

  • Community inclusion: being part of everyday community life.

  • Active citizenship: having a voice, rights and real roles in society.

  • Quality: services that are safe, effective and always improving.

Who can use them?

Adults aged 18 and over with a physical, sensory or intellectual disability and/or a diagnosis of autism can access HSE-funded adult day services.

How do you get a place?

  1. Referral. People are referred through the HSE day service referral process. For young people, this usually starts in their final years at school.

  2. Meeting. The person meets the HSE Day Opportunities Officer or Guidance Officer to talk about their needs, hopes and the supports that would help.

  3. Finding the right service. The HSE works alongside the person, and their family if they wish, to find a service provider that can meet their needs and support the life they want to live.

  4. Transition planning. The person is supported in their transition to their new day service, at a pace that feels right for them, and is supported to develop their own person-centred plan.

If you are unsure where to start, your local HSE Day Opportunities team can tell you about the referral process.

Your person-centred plan

Everyone supported by a day service should have a person-centred plan. It sets out their hopes and dreams, the goals they want to work towards and the supports they need to get there. It belongs to the person, and it is reviewed regularly so it keeps up with their life.

What does a day service look like?

Day services can look very different from one person to the next, because they are shaped around each person. For some people, support might be a full-time place. For others, it might be drop-in or outreach support in their own community.

Some people need more support at the start, for example to take up a place in college or training, gain work experience, or start a job in their community. As the person grows in confidence and achieves their goals, supports can be gradually stepped back, so they can enjoy valued roles as a student, colleague, volunteer, neighbour or friend, with the natural supports that come with them.

  • Supports are usually provided during the day, Monday to Friday, and a full-time place is 30 hours per week.

  • Supports happen in ordinary community places wherever possible, alongside other members of the community.

  • People learn about their rights, including the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act, and are supported to make their own choices.

How is quality checked?

Day services are measured against the Interim Standards for New Directions. Services review themselves using the EASI self-assessment tool and put improvement plans in place. The HSE, working with the National Disability Authority, is developing an outcomes-focused monitoring system for day services.

Unlike residential services, adult day services are not registered or inspected by HIQA, so these standards and good internal governance really matter.

Find out more

Planning or improving a day service?

Whether you're developing a new service, getting ready for monitoring or strengthening person-centred planning, I'd love to help. Book a free 20-minute call.