FAQs

These are some of the common questions we get asked about services, donations and our shops. If you can't find an answer to your question here please contact us directly.

What services do Enable Ireland provide?

Enable Ireland provides services to children and adults with disabilities and their families from 40 locations in 14 counties.The services we provide include clinical assessment, therapy, education, training, residential, respite, PA and family support services. 

Each Enable Ireland service region is contracted by the HSE to provide, for that area, services to children and adults and their families/parents/guardians. The range of services that Enable Ireland provides in a region depends on the specific contract in place between Enable Ireland and the HSE and will vary from place to place. Furthermore, Enable Ireland’s ability to provide services is dependent on what resources are made available by the HSE to each Enable Ireland service region.

Find your local service centre

Do you have a children’s service in my area?

Children’s Services are based in Cork, Clare, Cavan, Dublin, Galway, Kerry, Kildare, Kilkenny, Limerick, Meath, North Tipperary and Wicklow. 

Find your local service centre

 

Do you have an adults service in my area?

Adult Services are based in Clare, Cork, Dublin, Galway, Kerry, Limerick, Mayo, Meath. Find out more about your local adult services centre.

Find your local service centre

How can I get a referral to Enable Ireland?

For information on the referral process and catchment area please visit your relevant local service page.  

Find detail of the access criteria for your local centre

How is Enable Ireland funded?

Our core funding comes from the HSE. We also get various grants from other government departments and statutory agencies.

Our chain of charity shops and garden centres also generate funds and we raise funds through fundraising campaigns, community fundraising and corporate partnerships. 

Get involved!

Do families have to pay for service?

No. All our service are provided to families free of charge.

How do I make a complaint to Enable Ireland?

We take all concerns and complaints seriously as they provide us with opportunities to improve and maintain the high standards we strive to achieve across our disability services, shops and fundraising activities.

We recognise that sometimes we get things wrong. We welcome any feedback that will help us improve our service and your experience. We support the HSE’s Your Service, Your Say initiative. You can read our Complaints Policy here.

Please fill in our Feedback Form to provide us with details of your comment, compliment or complaint.

Where is my local Enable Ireland shop?
How can I donate clothing and brick a brack to Enable Ireland?

You can donate to Enable Ireland in a number of ways:

  • Directly into our shops or any TK Maxx store nationwide
  • Through textile banks (over 300 nationwide)
  • Through house collections (when you get a yellow bag through your door.)
  • If you are a company, school or organisation you can organise a Bring Back Days. This is where you arrange for all the staff to bring in a donation on a given day and we come to collect it. 
  • Retailers can donate end of line stock.

Find Your Nearest Donation Bank

What can I donate to Enable Ireland?

We love: clean clothing, shoes and accessories, ornaments, towels and linen, crockery, cutlery and glassware, collectables and antiques, dvd’s and mobile phones.

If you are a clothing manufacturer or retailer with end of line stock we will gladly take your donations!

 

What items do you not accept?

Unfortunately we cannot accept any electrical goods, furniture, books, toys, CDs or any items that are broken or require repair due to health and safety regulations.

I’ve received a yellow Enable Ireland bag through my door, what should I do?

Simply fill them with your unwanted items and leave them outside your door for collection on the day specified on the bag. Enable Ireland house collections take place every three months nationwide. Before making a collection we post our yellow charity bags through your door. Your unwanted goods can mean much needed funds for our services.

How do I know when the next collection will take place?

It will say at the bottom of the yellow bag wrapper. Just look along the days of the week until you see a tick. Our bags are posted at least two days before a collection, so for example, if you’ve received the bag on a Friday and the tick is for a Monday, it will be the following Monday that your collection will take place.

 

 

I’ve heard about bogus collectors in the news, how do I know that the bag is from a reputable charity?

Unfortunately what was once an effective way of removing the hassle from donating unwanted good to genuine charities is being spoilt by illegitimate groups who claim to be collecting for charity but in fact are not. You may have received a variety of charity bags through your door and it is important to make sure that you use a bag which is legitimate. All Enable Ireland bags carry a registered charity number and our contact details. As well as this, a good item to look out for is the Irish Charity Shops Association logo – this tells you that the charity is registered and reputable. For more information on the ICSA, visit their website on www.icsa.ie.

Call us on 1850 204 304 if you have any concerns regarding yellow bag collections.

What if I’m not home when the pick-up is scheduled?

You do not need to be in on the day of your pick-up. Our pick up times are between 7.30am and 10am. You can simply leave the bag outside your front door where our collectors will be able to see it. 

 

What if it’s not safe to leave my bag outside?

You can reduce the risks of your bag being picked up by bogus collectors by putting it out the morning of the collection instead of the night before. Alternatively, if you’re going to be at home on the day of the collection in your area, and during the collection hours of 7.30am to 10am, we can arrange to have our driver ring your doorbell to make the collection. You will need to call when you get the bag and at least one day before your collection is scheduled to arrange this. Please note the collection will have to be made within the collection hours and the driver may turn up at any point during these.

Alternatively, if you live near an Enable Ireland shop or a TK Maxx store, you can bring the bag into the store directly.

Find Your Nearest Donation Bank

How to I know if the pick-up person is from Enable Ireland?

All Enable Ireland collectors wear identification, so you’ll be able to recognise us straight away.

 

My bag has not been collected, what should I do?

If your scheduled collection did not take place, this could have been for a number of reasons, perhaps the collector couldn’t visibly see your bag or the bag was left out after the specified collection hours.