Written Answers Nos. 634-647
634. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the additional funding that was allocated for respite services; the additional respite hours created; the additional respite centres created; the location of each new respite centre that was created in 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and to date in 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35366/23]
View answerAs the query refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
635. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the additional funding allocated for day services for disabled people; the additional places created for day services for disabled people; the unmet need identified in 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023 for day services for disabled people; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35367/23]
View answerHSE-funded day programmes for people with intellectual disabilities, autism, or complex physical disabilities include a range of centre-based and community-based activities. Access to services is based on an individual’s needs rather than on their diagnosis. The focus is on supporting people to participate in the mainstream activities and in the life of their community, in line with their wishes and needs.Day services are a vital support for adult with disabilities to participate in the life of their community and to realise their own ambitions and desires. 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, typically 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.New development funding of €8.5m will support approximately 1,200 new places for people with disabilities who are leaving school to transition into adult day services in 2023, with a full year cost of €27m in 2024.As this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
636. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the additional funding allocated for intensive home support packages for disabled children; the number of additional intensive home support packages allocated to disabled children; the unmet need identified for intensive home support packages for disabled children in 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and to-date in 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35368/23]
View answerAs this refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
637. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth for a list of disabled persons organisations recognised by his Department; how his Department designates a disabled persons organisation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35369/23]
View answerAs Minister of State with Responsibility for Disability, I greatly value the role played by Disabled Persons Organisations (DPO) in representing the lived/living experience of people with disabilities in Ireland. This is crucial to the development, implementation and monitoring of law, policy and human rights in Ireland. DPOs are explicitly recognised in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) through Articles 4(3), 33(3), and General Comment No.7.
In response to the Deputy's question, there is no formal single list of DPOs in place in Ireland at present. My Department engages with a range of stakeholders and uses the language of the Convention itself as the basis for those engagements. This includes DPOs in particular but also other important voices such as individuals with disabilities, experts by experience, and other kinds of disability organisations.
My Department will continue to engage closely with DPOs through a number of important coordination mechanisms including the Disability Stakeholders Group (DSG) and the Disability Participation and Consultation Network (DPCN). The DPCN in particular has a specific DPO pillar which my Department has funded since its establishment in 2020.
In order to continue progress in this area I have asked that the DPCN model be evaluated by the National Disability Authority (NDA) with a view to identifying any possible improvements to the model.
638. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the average wait time for an assessment of need for children who have been added to the assessment of need waiting list, by children’s disability network team; the average wait time for an assessment of need for children who have not been added to the assessment of need waiting list but were referred to a children’s disability network team through another pathway (details supplied), by children’s disability network team; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35378/23]
View answerAs this refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
639. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will outline the participation levels in programmes in disadvantaged areas which use an approach of working with parents, and particularly mothers, from before the birth of the child; his plans for the strengthening and extending of this approach; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35414/23]
View answerDear Deputy,
The Department does not collect information on participation levels in programmes in disadvantaged areas.
Tusla delivers a number of parenting support programmes directly to babies, children and families as well as through a number of commissioned services. Tusla together with DCEDIY is continuously working to strengthen the engagement of parents in support as needed. The strategic planning, coordination and delivery of services are supported by CFSN’s and CYPSC structures.
These include:
• Tusla ABC Programme; The ABC programme operates in twelve areas of high social disadvantage. They deliver a suite of programmes supporting Parents, primarily from pre-birth to age 6. This includes home-visiting services, Infant & Early Child Mental Health supports and baby massage. Individual and group-based parenting programmes are also delivered including Circle of Security, Newborn Behavioural Observational programme, Incredible Years and Parents Plus.
• Community Families; a Parent Support Home Visiting Programme under the governance of HSE and Tusla.
• Community and Voluntary Partners; a number of Tusla commissioned services deliver supports to parents living in areas of disadvantage including Family Resource Centres, Lifestart and Barnardo’s.
• CFSNs; The CFSN’s take a localised area-based approach working with key partners in ensuring an integrated, cohesive and consistent approach to working with children and families. The local CFSNs consist of all services that play a role in the lives of children and families in each area. This includes local statutory children and families service providers (e.g., psychology, public health nurses, social work, justice, education and welfare) and local voluntary and community children and families’ services (Family Support Centres, agencies currently funded through the HSE/CFSA children and families services & organisations funded through other sources e.g., Pobal, Department of Education).
• CYPSC; Children and Young People’s Services Committees (CYPSC) are county-level committees that bring together the main statutory, community and voluntary providers of services to children and young people. They provide a forum for joint planning and co-ordination of activity to ensure that children, young people and their families receive improved and accessible services. Their role is to enhance interagency co-operation.
With regard to strengthening and expanding services, there is currently a plan underway to expand the Teen Parent Support Programme to the Young Parents Support Programme, which will deliver services to young parents and young expectant parents in disadvantaged areas. Also there is a review underway of Home Visiting Services nationally which aims to inform a national approach to home visiting services for families with babies and young children as part of a commitment in First 5, an all of government approach strategy for children.
640. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of children in the CHO 7 area awaiting an assessment of needs, by category of assessment, in tabular form. [35436/23]
View answer641. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of children in the CHO 7 area currently waiting to access therapies by the CDNT, by category of therapy, in tabular form. [35437/23]
View answer643. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if a parent or guardian may refer their child directly to their local Primary Care Service or Children's Disability Network Team without an Assessment of Need if a private diagnosis has been received. [35445/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 640, 641 and 643 together.
As this refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
642. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the average waiting time for an occupational therapist to make an assessment for a housing adaptation in the CHO7 area. [35438/23]
View answerAs this refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
644. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth when an individual (details supplied) will begin to receive therapy from their local CDNT unit. [35446/23]
View answerAs this refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
645. Deputy Martin Browne asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth further to Parliamentary Question No. 507 of 20 June 2023, to provide the waiting times for those children waiting for residential placement from the time they entered the system. [35458/23]
View answerAs the TD's question is relating to service matters, I am referring to the HSE for direct response to the TD.
646. Deputy Martin Browne asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth further to Parliamentary Question No. 506 of 20 June 2023, to request a full response to the question raised. [35459/23]
View answerAs the Deputy's question has been clarified as in relation to Children with a Disability, I am referring to the HSE for direct response to the Deputy.
647. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth what supports are available to naíonra-type childcare providers; if additional funding is being considered for Budget 2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35461/23]
View answerBudget 2024 will be announced in October. Any additional funding secured under this budget will be announced at that point in time.
Funding provided by my Department for early learning and care (ELC) and school-age childcare (SAC) services are the same for both Irish-medium and English-medium services. My colleague the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media provides additional supports for naíonraí in the Gaeltacht through her Department and its agencies.
There is much value in supporting the provision of services in the Irish language to children at an early age. Early learning and childcare services play an important role here, in particular in promoting Irish as a living language.
My Department is working closely with the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media and the Department of Education to implement a comprehensive set of actions that were agreed as part of the 5 Year Action Plan for the Irish Language 2018-2022. These actions are designed to affirm the importance that ELC settings have in encouraging the development and revitalisation of the Irish language. The aim of these actions is to build on the existing measures, supports and partnerships in place in the area of Irish-medium early learning and childcare, and to further improve these supports and services.
Inter-Departmental coordination in relation to supports for Irish-medium provision of ELC, both inside and outside the Gaeltacht, takes place through the National Early Years Oversight Group (established as part of the 5-Year Irish Language Action Plan), which is chaired and coordinated by officials in my Department.
In line with the commitments in the 5 Year Action Plan, the development a Comprehensive Plan to further the development of Irish language provision in the ELC and SAC sector has commenced. To support the development of a Comprehensive Plan it was necessary to survey Irish-medium ELC/SAC settings including childminders to obtain a baseline of the current level of Irish-medium provision in the sector. A survey of providers was therefore undertaken, and the opportunity was also used to survey providers on the supports, services and resources they believe would be most useful to support Irish-medium provision. This report is being finalised and will be published shortly. The report will complement other research and consultation processes planned for later this year, to support the work of an Advisory Group which is being established to oversee the drafting of the Comprehensive Plan. It is intended that the Plan will be published in 2024.
