The Homeless Initiative Training

The Homeless Initiative consists of a four day training programme which was developed for people working in an employed or voluntary capacity in the homeless sector. The programme is based on the tried and tested Brief Encounters® model which has underpinned Ag Eisteacht’s training into the healthcare sector for over a decade. Ag Eisteacht received funding from the ESB “Energy for Generations” fund to subsidise this initiative and to make the training more widely accessible to frontline workers in the homeless sector. 

This training was recently commissioned by Novas, a Homeless Service, in Tralee and delivered to 17 staff members. The feedback from participants after the training was very positive with staff commenting that the BE model was a very useful tool which they could and would use when responding to distressed service users. The brief intervention model, at the core of the training, enables front line workers to empower those they work with to make informed choices which fit their personal situation. The model also ensures that services providers are equipped to manage personal and professional boundaries.

As part of our Homeless Initiative, a second course was commissioned by organisations from the homeless sector in Cork. A variety of experienced frontline workers, representing different organisations operating in the Homeless Sector participated and indeed contributed their own valuable experiences to the discussion and role play sessions . Again, feedback following the course was very positive with participants rating the relevance of the training to the sector highly. 

Commissioned training programmes are an effective way of training team members as it allows programmes to be tailored to meet the specific requirements of the commissioning organisation(s).  Ag Eisteacht trainers include research, case-studies and, role-playing examples which reflect the settings and situations pertinent to their client groups. 

If you would like to find out more about the Homeless Initiative, contact Brendan by phone 021 5005915 or email [email protected]