Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 21 February 2012
618 Deputy Simon Harris asked the Minister for Health his plans to introduce measures to ensure adequate services continue to be provided for young school-leavers with disabilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9302/12]
View answerUnder the Health Act 2004 the Health Service Executive (HSE) is required to manage and deliver, or arrange to be delivered on its behalf, health and personal social services, including disability services.
As the Deputy is aware, the HSE Service Plan for 2012 sets out a reduction of 3.7% in funding for disability services. The HSE's aim will be to apply any reductions in a way which minimises the impact on service users and their families as much as possible, although some reductions in services will be unavoidable.
However, the Service Plan states that at least 2% of the reduction should not impact on services and needs to be generated from other savings and increased efficiencies.
While the HSE makes every effort to provide day services to people over 18 on leaving school, this has always been dependent on the availability and location of suitable places coupled with the needs of the individual school-leaver.
The HSE, through its Occupational Guidance Service, works with schools, service providers, service users and families to identify the needs of young people with disabilities who are due to complete their second level education. This process requires a certain amount of flexibility from disability service providers and the maximisation of additional capacity from within existing resources. The aim is to address the needs of individuals in one or more of the following ways:
Health funded rehabilitative training;
Health funded day services;
FÁS funded rehabilitative training;
FÁS funded vocational training;
Approval to extend education placement for a specified time.
The HSE monitors the outcome of this process to ensure that, in as far as possible, the needs of each individual young person with a disability leaving school are addressed.
