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Services for People with Disabilities

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 10 December 2013

Tuesday, 10 December 2013

Questions (503)

Clare Daly

Question:

503. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Health if funding is available for students with mild or moderate special needs to be taken on to do some basic training in hair and beauty therapy with a registered hairdresser; and the way such an initiative could be pursued. [52727/13]

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Written answers

Options open to meet the training and education needs of individuals with disabilities include SOLAS-funded vocational training and health-funded rehabilitative training.

Vocational training, including training for people with intellectual, physical or sensory disabilities and mental health issues which prepares people for employment in the open labour market, is the responsibility of the Department of Education and Skills and SOLAS (formerly FÁS) while rehabilitative training, which has no connection with the open labour market, is the responsibility of the Department of Health and the Health Service Executive (HSE).

The Department of Social Protection is responsible for delivering income supports, activation and employment services and advice to all unemployed citizens, including people with disabilities, to increase their prospects of securing employment.  The Supported Employment Programme/EmployAbility Service is an open labour market initiative providing supports to people with disabilities to help them access the open labour market. Supports are tailored on a case-by-case basis by a job coach and can include on-the-job training, social skills training, assistance with travel to and from work, assistive technology and other supports necessary to make the employment successful, for both the employer and the employee. An individual with a disability, including those with mild to moderate special needs, wishing to pursue training and employment in hair and beauty therapy, would be advised to contact their local SOLAS office to explore their options in this regard.

Although supported employment is primarily the responsibility of the Department of Social Protection and SOLAS, some disability service providers also provide this service and it is open to service users to work with service providers through the person centred planning process to identify the type of supported employment that best meets their needs and abilities. Increasingly, service providers are working with service users to identify their goals through this process of person centred planning placing the person, their life choices and wishes at the core of service development.

The HSE, through its Occupational Guidance Service, works with schools, service providers, service users and families to identify the training needs of people with disabilities. The Occupational Guidance Officer provides one to one advice, support and guidance to enable individuals with a disability aged 16 to 65 years to make an informed choice about their rehabilitative training and occupational options.

For individuals with a disability who require foundation level skills before progressing to vocational training, supported employment or open employment, the HSE provide rehabilitative training. The purpose of rehabilitative training is to develop the individual’s life skills, social skills and basic work skills. Approximately 3,000 people with special needs avail of rehabilitative training each year, some of whom then progress to vocational training, other training or employment. RT courses cover a wide range of skills and cater for people with a range of abilities and interests, and may include opportunities for work sampling or work placement. It is open to an individual in liaision with their service provider to pursue basic work skills training which would be of benefit to that individual should he or she wish to progress to training or employment in a specific area, such as hair and beauty therapy.

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