Written Answers Nos. 315-325
315. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the amount of funding given to the Den Youth project, Finglas, Dublin 11 for the past five years, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11285/24]
View answerThe information requested by the Deputy is provided in the below table.
This funding is provided to Crosscare Finglas Youth Service LEAPP located in the Den, St. Helen's Road, Finglas under the UBU Your Place Your Space scheme.
|
Year |
UBU Your Place Your Space Funding |
Youth Capital Funding Scheme |
|
2020 |
€130,564 |
€22,950 |
|
2021 |
€133,564 |
€10,535 |
|
2022 |
€137,843 |
€10,817 |
|
2023 |
€143,357 |
€13,200 |
|
2024 |
€146,368 |
Nil |
316. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to confirm if his Department is actively coordinating with disability advocacy organisations and community groups to gather feedback from service users, and to ensure that there is a continuity of improvement in quality of disability home support services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11315/24]
View answer317. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to outline in detail his Department’s strategy for promoting inclusivity and reducing stigma associated with disability home support services, aiming for a more supportive and understanding community and for these services to be utilised more by those who require these services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11316/24]
View answer319. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to confirm what measures are in place to ensure that individuals with disabilities and their families are actively involved in the planning and delivery of home support services to promote person-centered care; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11318/24]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 316, 317 and 319 together.
The HSE provides a range of assisted living services including Personal Assistant (PA) and Home Support Services (HSS) to support individuals to maximise their capacity to live full and independent lives.
PA and Home Support Services are provided either directly by the HSE or indirectly through a range of voluntary and private service providers. The majority of specialised disability provision (80%) is delivered through non-statutory sector service providers.
Home support services are provided to both children and adults with a wide range of disabilities from physical and sensory disabilities to intellectual disabilities and autism. The home support service for children with disabilities assists the child with various activities and supports the parent/family. Over 3 million home support hours are delivered to almost 7,200 people annually.
While many individuals are adequately provided for by their current level of support, it is also the case that many would benefit from more support hours if they were available.
Acknowledging this unmet need, the Action Plan for Disability Services 2024-2026 , published by my Department in December, commits to the delivery of 110,000 additional Home Support hours between 2024 and 2026 to address shortfalls in services and to support people with disabilities live at home, in line with Article 19 UNCRPD.
The overall guiding principle in the Action Plan is to work towards aligning service provision with the principles set out in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD). This translates to putting people with disabilities at the heart of services, enabling independence and choice and supporting them to participate in the life of their community, with access to the supports they need, underpinned by a vision of a society that is fully inclusive of disabled people.
In light of this drive towards increased and improved services, the Stakeholder Strategic Advisory Group on Disability Services has been convened by DCEDIY to establish and drive collective discussion and a collective stakeholder approach to disability service transformation and expansion. Membership includes individuals nominated by the Disability Stakeholders Group (including DPOs), provider umbrella bodies, relevant Departmental and HSE officials, and the National Disability Authority. The Group will act in an advisory capacity and bring a problem-solving approach to driving progressive increases in service capacity, and to progressing reform in these services.
In addition, my Department is leading discussions at a whole-of-government level for the development and delivery of the next National Disability Strategy in 2024. As part of this work, and in line with obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, an extensive and robust stakeholder consultation process is underway, to ensure that the voices and perspectives of persons with disabilities are captured and represented in the Strategy. My officials are engaging on an ongoing basis with the DPO Network, the Disability Participation and Consultation Network and the Disability Stakeholder Group, along with other groups on a bilateral and multilateral basis.
Action 121 of the National Disability Inclusion Strategy committed DCEDIY to “develop programmes to promote awareness within the general public of the lived experience of, and to support more positive attitudes towards, people with disabilities”. This aligns strongly with an obligation set out in Article 8 of the UNCRPD for State Parties to engage in awareness raising.
A UNCRPD Disability Awareness Campaign which ran in late 2023 was aimed at highlighting the importance and shared responsibility of disability inclusion, and of raising recognition and understanding of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) in Ireland.
The key purpose of this awareness campaign is to reach people with disabilities as the primary audience with a simple but strong message: the UNCRPD contains human rights which all people with disabilities are entitled to have respected, protected and fulfilled.
As this question on person-centred planning refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible. The Deputy will likely be aware that the industrial action by certain Fórsa grades in the HSE has been suspended. The HSE has indicated that they have recommenced issuing replies to questions but there is a significant backlog of PQs and Reps to be responded to and has advised that they are working to get through these as soon as possible while at the same time managing the volume of current PQs and Reps.
318. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to set out in tabular form the current waiting times for disability home support services across the different regions nationally, and what action his Department is taking to reduce these waiting times; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11317/24]
View answerAs this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible. The Deputy will likely be aware that the industrial action by certain Fórsa grades in the HSE has been suspended. The HSE has indicated that they have recommenced issuing replies to questions but there is a significant backlog of PQs and Reps to be responded to and has advised that they are working to get through these as soon as possible while at the same time managing the volume of current PQs and Reps.
320. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if services will continue from the physical and sensory disability service in Letterkenny, County Donegal for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11319/24]
View answerAs this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible. The Deputy will likely be aware that the industrial action by certain Fórsa grades in the HSE has been suspended. The HSE has indicated that they have recommenced issuing replies to questions but there is a significant backlog of PQs and Reps to be responded to and has advised that they are working to get through these as soon as possible while at the same time managing the volume of current PQs and Reps.
321. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if carers can be provided to a person in County Donegal (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11320/24]
View answerAs this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible. The Deputy will likely be aware that the industrial action by certain Fórsa grades in the HSE has been suspended. The HSE has indicated that they have recommenced issuing replies to questions but there is a significant backlog of PQs and Reps to be responded to and has advised that they are working to get through these as soon as possible while at the same time managing the volume of current PQs and Reps.
322. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he can assist a group (details supplied) and address the matter raised in correspondence; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11350/24]
View answerI'd like to thank the Deputy for his question and extend my sympathies to the affected community at this very sad and difficult time.
Firstly, the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) is available to assist with the immediate aftermath of such cases. NEPS psychologists work with both primary and post-primary schools and are concerned with learning, behaviour, social and emotional development. NEPS provides assistance to all schools that experience critical incidents, including those that may not have an assigned NEPS psychologist. School authorities seeking support can contact their local NEPS office for assistance.
Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, has advised me that Tusla's Mid-West local area has arranged a meeting with the Chairperson of the Abbeyfeale Community Council to discuss the matter further.
The Local Tusla area fund a part-time Family Support Worker with West Limerick Resources that covers the catchment of Abbeyfeale. This service works with disadvantaged and vulnerable families specifically focusing on improving parenting skills and child/parent relationship. This service provides practical family support and where appropriate signpost and support families to engage in other support services.
The Deputy may be aware that the commissioning of Family Resource Centres is an operational matter for Tusla. Tusla’s Area Managers engage in the commissioning process and participate in meetings and discussions with community and voluntary bodies regularly. Tusla aims to utilise the total resources available in the most efficient, equitable, proportionate and sustainable way in order to improve outcomes for children, young people, and families.
Currently there is no expansion plan to increase the number of Family Resource Centres. The Tusla National Commissioning Office have received several requests to become members of the FRC Programme from organisations in various parts of the country. In the event the FRC Programme is expanded, a transparent process will be established to ensure all applications are treated equitably. The Tusla Area Commissioning Plan will be a critical contribution to the decision-making process. If a new process is established, it will be published, and local Tusla Managers will be made aware of the process.
Organisations that wish to join the Programme are advised to contact Tusla in the first instance, with regard to potential next steps. There are no plans to expand the FRC Programme or to establish new funding schemes for the Programme in the immediate future. Any such plans would depend on the availability of additional funding for the Programme, and decisions on the most appropriate use of such funding within the Programme. Tusla does not have a capital funding allocation to fund the building of new FRCs.
In addition, my Department in conjunction with the Irish Government Economic and Evaluation Service has recently concluded and published a spending review of Tusla-funded Family Support Services. The Review is a comprehensive analysis, focusing on the Family Support Services policy landscape, commissioning and governance, and trends in Family Support Services expenditure in recent years. The Review will be key to next steps in the area of Family Support Services including the FRC programme.
The below Family Resource Centres in the wider area may also be in a position to offer support to the local community during this difficult time:
• Northside Family Resource Centre Clonconnane Road Ballynanty, Limerick Phone ; 061326623 offer Counselling therapeutic services.
• Southill Family Resource Centre CLG 267 Avondale Court, O'Malley Park, Limerick Phone ; 061440250 Family/ Individual and Child counselling/Creative therapy services
• Croom Family Resource Centre CLG Croom Mills, Church Street. Croom Limerick Phone ; 061602878 Therapeutic Services (Counselling, Play Therapy)
• Hospital Family Resource Centre Knockainey Road Hospital, Limerick Phone; 061383884 Adult & family counsellor. Adolescent therapy. Equine Therapy, Play and Creative Arts Therapy provision for children aged 4 - 12.
323. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to provide the date, the location and the participants of meetings he has held with the providers of State care to children in the past four years. [11352/24]
View answerThe information which the Deputy has sought is set out below. Note that the organisation referred to below is a representative body for a range of providers of homeless, residential, aftercare and outreach care to children and their families.
|
13th December 2023 15:00-15:45 |
Minister O'Gorman's Office Leinster House |
Children's Residential and Aftercare Voluntary Association Terry Dignan Tanya Blyth Neil Forsyth Gordon Hill |
324. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth whether those who were in “mother and baby homes” will be automatically entitled to dental, chiropody, homecare services and counselling as part of the compensation package for survivors of the homes; if they are, how will the services be delivered and how can they be accessed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11353/24]
View answer325. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth when financial compensation will be paid to the survivors of the “mother and baby” homes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11354/24]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 324 and 325 together.
The Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme will open for applications on 20 March.
A dedicated webpage is now live at www.gov.ie/paymentscheme, which contains information on how people will be able to apply to the Payment Scheme, and what information applicants will need. Once the Scheme opens, the Payment Scheme Office will process all applications as quickly as possible, with the first payments expected to be made in Quarter 2 of this year.
The Scheme provides for financial payments and health supports for eligible persons. The legislation that underpins the Scheme provides that a person who spent at least 180 days as a mother or child in a Mother and Baby or County Home Institution, as listed in Schedule 1 of the Act, is eligible for the health supports in the form of an enhanced medical card.
It is intended that the enhanced medical card will ensure the provision, without charge, of the following primary and community health services for those eligible:
• GP services;
• prescribed drugs, medicines, aids and appliances
• dental, ophthalmic and aural services;
• home nursing;
• home support;
• counselling;
• chiropody/podiatry; and
• physiotherapy.
As well as the above services, it is intended that cardholders will not be required to pay the €100 Emergency Department statutory charge.
Those who are living outside of Ireland will have the choice of opting for an enhanced medical card or a once off health support payment.
The Payment Scheme Executive Office will notify the HSE if an applicant is eligible for the enhanced medical card and the HSE will provide the card to the applicant and will be responsible for making the services available to them.
