Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 18 April 2023
1306. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the estimated capital cost of providing 1,200, 1,450 and 1,700 additional day service places for school leavers and graduates of rehabilitative training, respectively; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17912/23]
View answer1307. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the current cost, including staff and operating cost, of providing 1,200, 1,450 and 1,700 additional day service places for school leavers and graduates of rehabilitative training, respectively; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17913/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 1306 and 1307 together.
Adult day services are HSE funded programmes to provide day service supports to people, age 18 and over, with intellectual disabilities, autism, or people with complex physical disabilities. These services are demand led and the number of new places in any year reflects the number of applications from young people leaving school. Additional funding of €8.5m in 2023 will support approximately 1,400 people with disabilities who are leaving school to transition into adult day services from September, with a full year cost of €27m in 2024. Once vacancies are taken into account, and in the light of demographic change, approximately 1,200 new places are needed in 2023 to ensure all eligible school leavers can get a day service place.
There were no significant capital costs allocated in Budget 2023 associated with the delivery of day services to school leavers. The new developments allocation includes non pay costs to prepare buildings for new intake and for the lease/rent of new buildings to facilitate new intake.
The majority of young people due to leave school in a given year that require a HSE funded day service have been profiled by the end of the previous year to establish their support needs. Once needs are identified, referrals are made to the service provider of choice, funding is committed and negotiations are concluded with providers by end of May to confirm placements to young people and their families. In many instances young people due to leave school at end of June are introduced to their day services for trialling purposes during April, May and June so there is a natural transition into day services in September.
