Vol. 481 No. 3
8 Mrs. Owen asked the Minister for Health and Children the proposals, if any, he has to assist in the caring for mentally handicapped siblings who have to be cared for by members of the family when their parents have died. [15315/97]
The health boards and the voluntary mental handicap agencies provide a range of services to assist persons with a mental handicap to continue to live at home with their families. These services include respite, day care and home support services.
The home support services were initiated in 1992 to help meet the needs of families with a mentally handicapped child or dependant. The services work in a flexible manner and are specifically targeted at those persons who have no services, are awaiting a residential placement or require additional assistance to enable them to continue to reside with their families. Since they were first introduced, the home support services have been expanded considerably and now provide a broad range of responses to meet the needs of persons with a mental handicap and their families. Examples of the services available include the provision of assistance in the home with the care of the family member with a mental handicap or arranging leisure activities for them in the evenings or at weekends.
In individual cases where their parents have died and their siblings are not in a position to continue to care for their brother or sister with a mental handicap, the health boards and voluntary mental handicap agencies arrange for their placement in a residential setting.
The Government is committed to the ongoing development of these services as outlined in the Government's An Action Programme for the Millennium.
