Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 29 February 2024
83. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if the capital plan for the respite centre in Cavan, which will cater for children, has been launched; the timeframe for the delivery of this service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9734/24]
View answerHas the capital plan for the respite centre in Cavan, which will cater for children, been launched and what is the timeframe for delivery of this service?
A capital funding proposal has been submitted to the national HSE office for a bespoke stand-alone respite service facility in Cavan-Monaghan for children up to the age of 18 with an intellectual disability and high-support medical and complex needs. It is important to say the capital plan has not been published yet but the application has been submitted. At the moment I cannot confirm it in the Chamber, but it is a priority. I have met families and public representatives. There is a dire need for respite for children in Cavan-Monaghan and I have said it numerous times. I do not find sharing a respite centre with adults every second week acceptable. We need full-time respite for both adults and children.
The Government and the HSE have had regular conversations and are very much aware of the importance of respite service provision for families of both children and adults with disabilities and it is important we build on that. Respite for people with disabilities and their families is a key priority area for the HSE and there has been significant investment in services in the past number of years. In 2021 we added nine new houses, which brought 10,000 additional hours. In 2022, we added three, which were for complex speciality needs, and added 4,000 extra bed nights. In 2023, we added another five respite houses, which added 7,300. The capital plan is being finalised at the moment. I know Edel Quinn has done Trojan work with the team in Cavan-Monaghan to put together a proposal and design for adjudication by the HSE national office.
As the Minister of State has said, there is currently one respite house between two counties catering for adults and children on alternative weeks only. That is entirely insufficient and has been for years.
The respite people are getting is in most cases insufficient. There are many on waiting lists who are not getting any. I have even spoken to people who have not applied at all even though they need it or know they will need it in the future but they feel it is pointless because they hear of others who have been waiting so long. Then there are some who are unsure how to even apply. That just points to a deficit of information being provided to people around disability services in general and what supports are available.
The Annalee respite centre has five rooms. I spoke to some of the staff there who said that, for example, many of the cases they are seeing coming in are autistic people, both children and adults, and there is no sensory room. There is a big need for something like that. There is perhaps a big need for an upgrade and extension in that house but there is definitely a need for a separate house completely. To clarify, is the Minister of State still talking about one house between the two counties? Is it one house to cater for children between Cavan and Monaghan? Would she ever see a time when there would be a house for children in each county?
Absolutely. Of course, we want to be that ambitious to ensure that every county would, at a very minimum, have a respite house for children, that is, a house in both Cavan and Monaghan. At this moment, however, the proposal that has been submitted by Edel Quinn is for a respite house for both countries that is operational full-time.
That will add capacity. My understanding is that it is a five-bed house with separate doors. That separate door would ensure that a person with sensory needs can be supported to meet his or her needs and at the same time, the mild and moderate cases will have their own separate front door. Therefore, the building is functioning full-time at all times and everybody is catered for, so we never end up in a situation where the house has a multiplier effect of not functioning for everybody. The 1,800 overnight bed capacity would be on the seven over seven basis, which is exactly what is required and will add substantial accommodation. That would mean people who are not applying or who are in need but do not know how to access it at this point will have their needs met.
We also need to avoid the situation that happens on occasion when an emergency case is going into the respite house and nobody else is actually allowed to use it, so they cancel at the last minute. I am also aware of certain cases, such as, for example, one woman who knows she has an operation coming up in March and who needs respite care for her son. However, because it is the children's week and he is an adult, she is being told there is no possibility. There are situations for which we need to find solutions now. I have written to Edel Quinn on this and have not heard back from her. It is something that needs to be resolved very quickly. Obviously, if there were two houses, it could be resolved very quickly indeed.
I will also point out that the need for respite has increased due to the lack of functionally of the children's disability network team, CDNTs. They are not functioning at all well. In County Cavan, for example, we are working at something like a 60% vacancy rate, so it is actually not working. It is not operating, and children are not getting services. I have contacted the teams. They say they are going to be in touch with families. They do not get in touch, or if they do, it is not to offer supports or services. Many families are getting to a crisis point now where they cannot cope and some have more than one child affected as well.
It is important to say that in budget 2024, the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, and I secured for the first time ever the largest budget for respite, which was €15 million. In a full year, that is €25 million for respite alone. Therefore, we have a very ambitious plan in 2024.
The alternative respite services, such as Little Wonders and Kilbixy Paddocks, provide alternatives on Saturdays and after-school services. We need to add capacity and support those providers. In fact, we need to be ambitious and encourage more providers to come into that space in the after-schools or Saturday clubs piece.
I have no doubt but that Edel Quinn will come back to the Deputy on that issue. She always does her absolute damnedest to support families where she can, particularly with the scheduled care requirement. Finally, the Enable Ireland team is in the Deputy's area. We advertised a recruitment campaign for which 500 people have applied. The interviews are starting now so, hopefully, I will get to meet representatives from Enable Ireland in the next week to see how it is supporting its 20 CDNTs nationally on that drive.
We will move all the way to Question No. 96 in the name of Deputy Brady.
