Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 13 July 2021
481. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the supports available for a person residing in direct provision who is suffering with mental health difficulties that make living in close proximity with other residents difficult for the person and to the other residents; and if more suitable accommodation can be secured in such cases. [37193/21]
View answerI can assure the Deputy that the health and wellbeing of all people who avail of International Protection Accommodation Services (IPAS) is of the highest priority to my Department.
Where a protection applicant chooses to accept an offer of accommodation from my Department, they will, in normal circumstances, be first brought to the National Reception Centre in Balseskin, Dublin. At Balseskin, they will be offered a health assessment by the on-site HSE team, which is a multi-disciplinary team comprising of a nurse, nurse specialist, area medical officer, general practitioners, social worker and psychologist. This ensures that applicants can be assessed for any special reception needs before they are designated an accommodation centre. The IPAS works closely with the HSE screening team to ensure that International Protection applicants are moved, in so far as possible, to locations where their medical needs can be met.
Additionally, a Vulnerability Assessment process is currently being piloted by IPAS of my Department. The pilot commenced in December 2020 and was extended to all new applicants for international protection from the beginning of February. The pilot will continue until end 2021, at which point it will be evaluated, and this will be used to inform the long term implementation of vulnerability assessments.
The purpose of these assessments is to determine if, by virtue of a particular category of vulnerability, an applicant is deemed to have special reception needs, what those needs are and what actions are required to address those needs.
IPAS offers a vulnerability assessment to everyone who makes an application for international protection to the International Protection Office (IPO). Where an application includes children of an applicant, IPAS, with parental consent, also assess their vulnerability in an appropriate manner.
The Vulnerability Assessment begins with an initial interview after the applicant first applies for international protection. If this initial assessment indicates that the applicant is a vulnerable person, within the meaning of the relevant EU Directive, further assessments may be carried out while the applicant is living in the IPAS Reception Centre, or subsequently when they have moved to longer term accommodation.
Taken together, these assessments are used to determine whether the applicant has special reception needs arising from any vulnerabilities identified. IPAS will endeavour to accommodate these needs in so far as possible.
It is important to note that services for all International Protection applicants (including health services) are mainstreamed. Protection applicants are linked with primary care services (GPs). They are entitled to a medical card while residing in International Protection accommodation and have a waiver of prescription charges. Applicants access health services through the same referral pathways as Irish citizens including referral to disability and mental health services. Every effort is made to ensure that residents' specific needs are met.
