I welcome a delegation from Special Olympics Ireland to discuss the future funding of the organisation. Its chief executive officer, Ms Mary Davis, is unable to appear before us as she is attending an important event elsewhere. She is, however, well represented by Mr. Peter O'Brien, director of sports services and volunteers, and Ms Fiona O'Loughlin, network manager. Special Olympics Ireland does a tremendous job. I ask the delegates to commence their presentation.
Special Olympics Ireland: Presentation.
Mr. Peter O’Brien
I thank the joint committee for giving us this opportunity to make a brief contribution highlighting the issues facing Special Olympics Ireland and, specifically, people with learning disabilities whom we hope to involve in communities through sport. Ms O'Loughlin and I will outline some of the challenges that lie ahead. People associate Special Olympics Ireland with the fantastic success of the world games held here in 2003. The Special Olympics Ireland games in Belfast also achieved many successes on and off the field of play. However, the organisation is about much more than games. I ask Ms O'Loughlin to elaborate.
Ms Fiona O’Loughlin
I propose to give Deputies and Senators a snapshot of Special Olympics Ireland today, three years and six months after the 2003 world games. Special Olympics Ireland, one of the country's largest community and voluntary organisations, supports more than 11,000 athletes who participate in 12 sports in 402 clubs which are supported by 18,000 volunteers. Based on annual figures published by the Health Research Board on the learning disability database, we believe we reach 33% of persons with a learning disability.
Many associate Special Olympics Ireland exclusively with the Special Olympics World Summer Games in 2003, a marvellous event which touched many lives and left a major legacy in many ways. However, the games finished a long time ago and it is essential for all of us to focus on and develop the day-to-day work taking place all over the country in the name of Special Olympics Ireland to help support those with a learning disability and their families. We provide this support in many ways. While the primary means of doing so is through our club structure, we also provide family support, volunteer training and our education programme, SO Get Into It, which will be launched on 15 November by the Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Hanafin. The programme will be available in every primary school this year and we hope to have a similar package available in every secondary school next year.
As we expected, the 2003 games resulted in a large groundswell of support and interest in Special Olympics Ireland. Mr. O'Brien will outline the many challenges this created.
Mr. O’Brien
This is probably the first time Special Olympics Ireland has asked the Government for specific support for its work. There are valid reasons for this request. Our accounts for 2005 show that only 13.8% of our income comes from Government sources. This is a credit to Special Olympics Ireland, our fundraising efforts and those who have sponsored us during the years. The relatively small amount of income from Government sources will present a challenge to the organisation in the years ahead.
As a result of the success of the Special Olympics World Summer Games, we were able to create a trust fund in 2003. The moneys from this fund contribute approximately 26% of our overall income but the fund will come to an end next year. Special Olympics Ireland is growing both in terms of the number of athletes and the number of volunteers involved in it. We are in a position where, although our organisation is developing at a fast pace, our income is reducing. We have looked ahead as far as 2011 and, notwithstanding our fundraising efforts and the generosity of people in communities across the island in which we can be assured of receiving financial support, in our estimation we will need approximately €3.3 million annually between now and then to ensure we can continue not just to maintain but also to develop the organisation. I will ask Ms O'Loughlin to elaborate on the immediate challenge for 2007.
Ms O’Loughlin
Apart from the annual subvention so badly needed, specifically for 2007, Special Olympics Ireland will need a minimum of €1.5 million from the Government to resource its work and help send the largest Special Olympics team ever from Ireland to the 2007 Special Olympics World Summer Games in China in October. This will be a 200 strong delegation, comprising 160 athletes and 40 volunteer coaches who will all be proud to represent our country at these important games. Mr. O'Brien will sum up the reasons we sought this meeting.
Mr. O’Brien
I acknowledge the fantastic support of the committee and the personal support we have received from Members of the Oireachtas, not just this year but also in our preparations for the games and our day-to-day work. Given that learning disability covers all stratas of society, the Special Olympics movement is a great uniting force. We also found this when we had the successful all-Ireland games in Belfast. We had 5,000 volunteers from all sections of the community. In the same way as we saw here in 2003, the games had a great effect on the volunteers in uniting them and the families involved. Those with a learning disability who are involved in sport through the Special Olympics are fortunate to have that support.
It is worthwhile focusing on some of the areas where Special Olympics Ireland complements Government strategy and policy. Sport is the most obvious example. Probably the area in which we best complement Government strategy is promoting and providing for the inclusion of people with a disability in sport. Those who know about the Special Olympics movement are aware that it is about much more than sport. By involving people with a learning disability we are developing their levels of physical activity and also combating issues such as obesity, enhancing their quality of life and developing independence and self-confidence. Overall, we hope every person with a learning disability will be able to become involved in sport in their local community. By doing this we are embedding respect, concern and care for people with a learning disability in their own community. We say Ireland hosted the world in 2003; now it is time for us to host our own. Sport is one of the key areas in which we can do this.
The other aspect that is very pertinent is voluntarism. Members may be aware that the task force on active citizenship pointed to the Special Olympics as being a catalyst for bringing out the best in volunteers. Since my involvement in the Special Olympics World Summer Games I have no doubt that voluntarism is alive and well, not just in the Republic of Ireland but also on the island of Ireland. Special Olympics Ireland can demonstrate to other organisations how to manage, treat, encourage, train and thank volunteers. Perhaps that is the way to get people up from the fireside to help a club on a wet winter's evening or a Saturday morning. There is no doubt in my mind that there are many such people.
Special Olympics Ireland now has 18,000 volunteers. This is a significant workforce that provides about 1.2 million work hours free of charge. Managing this workforce presents enormous challenges for which we need the support of the Government. We also engage in vetting and carrying out background checks on volunteers. The support we have received from the national vetting unit and the Garda Commissioner, in particular, both during the games and since has been fantastic. We work closely with them. Since the establishment of the vetting unit we have been attending seminars with staff of the unit to explain to other voluntary organisations how we handled our volunteers and carried out background checks. We do this because it is good in itself and, as the vetting unit, the Garda and the PSNI were most helpful to Special Olympics Ireland, it is the least we can do to make known the good practice we have learned. I hope all voluntary organisations will benefit from our experience.
Dealing with volunteers is a constant challenge, one we keep high on our list of priorities. However, there is a cost involved. Ms O'Loughlin referred to the programme we are launching in all primary schools next week. Every primary school in the Republic of Ireland and in the next few months Northern Ireland will receive exactly the same school module. We have received support from those involved in developing the curriculum in this area. We are creating an awareness of learning disability. We are also creating an interest in sport, both for those with and without a learning disability. We emphasise in the programme the common areas in which children can work together. It is a most practical module that the teacher can incorporate into games in the classroom. We will also provide website material for the use of schools. Next year we will move on to second level schools, especially transition year and applied leaving certificate students. The following year we very much want to get involved with the third level sector from the point of view of making an input into the various academic courses to ensure those studying the caring professions will be more aware of learning disability.
Since the Special Olympics World Summer Games, my colleagues and I in Special Olympics Ireland have provided a module on learning disability for student gardaí at Templemore on a monthly basis to assist them to deal with people with learning disabilities in their careers. We also introduce the idea of the Special Olympics and how it can be a bridge builder within the communities in which they are stationed. We encourage them to become involved. The director of the Garda College in Templemore has renewed the programme for next year. It is the intention that every garda trained in Templemore will undertake a module on the Special Olympics and, in particular, learning disability.
I am pleased to say my colleagues and I also give a similar bi-monthly lecture in the PSNI training college in Garniville to student police officers. Members may not have heard much about it but the exact same module is being delivered to student gardaí and student police officers. That is an example of how Special Olympics Ireland is spreading the word in a quiet way. We have received great support from both the Garda and the PSNI.
Education and awareness are most important in advising people not familiar with learning disability how they should react to a person with such a disability. We always tell them to be themselves. Through the Special Olympics we bring out the true potential of people with learning disabilities. We try to prevent social isolation for the families of people with a learning disability that may have been a feature in the past.
These are some of the reasons we complement Government policy and strategy and the work of the various Departments involved, including the Departments of Arts, Sport and Tourism, Health and Children, Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs and Education and Science. For the first time we are approaching the Government to ask for assistance in our project.
Ms O'Loughlin has stated one third of the population with a learning disability on this island are involved in the Special Olympics through sport. We would like everyone in this category to be offered the opportunity to realise his or her potential through sport in his or her own community but we have some way to go before achieving this. We operate on the basis of our own fundraising efforts and the work of the 18,000 volunteers but any help from the Government would be appreciated greatly.
I attended the press launch and the official opening of the Special Olympics Ireland games in Belfast and noted that the games reaffirmed the wonderful work done during the international games in Croke Park, with which work we are more familiar. The briefing session last week was important to make people such as ourselves more aware that it is not a question of one-off projects or big events but work that proceeds day in, day out, and year in, year out. I know the people involved in my constituency and the value of the work they do. I am sure the same applies in every other constituency. We realise the fun participants derive from the process and the positive impact of engaging in activities other than sport.
Is Special Olympics Ireland's annual budget €3.3 million, bearing in mind that it is seeking €1.5 million initially in 2007? The figure of 13.8% represents the income derived from Government sources. Is this derived from Departments or is there a lead Department?
Mr. O’Brien
The lead organisation is the Irish Sports Council. A contribution is also made by the Department of Health and Children. While our immediate need for 2007 is €1.5 million, our income will reduce next year. If one averages the figures for the years up to 2011, one will arrive at an average figure of €3.3 million per annum.
The Garda-PSNI initiative has been very significant and resulted in a win-win situation. The two organisations have derived great PR exposure from it. It involves dealing with learning disabilities at the Garda College in Templemore. When one notes that some crimes are committed by people with learning difficulties who have never been subject to intervention, one realises the intervention in question is very important and clever. It offers experience and teaches one how to deal with others. It is a win-win situation for all involved.
There is an all-island dimension to the delegates' work. Does Special Olympics Ireland envisage receiving a contribution from the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland who has been a great fan of the games or the Executive when it is up and running? Would a cross-Border application help, in addition to receiving support from the Government? Is Special Olympics Ireland focusing on just one source of funding?
Mr. O’Brien
We have challenges in seeking funding, both here and in the North. As a result of the games, great interest has been generated. The potential for development is probably as great in Northern Ireland as in the Republic. We divide our organisation into regions — Leinster, Connacht, Munster, Ulster and the eastern region. The latter covers the greater Dublin area, while the Ulster region includes the nine counties of Ulster. It is unique in that it crosses the Border into another jurisdiction.
We have been recognised for the first time this year by the Sports Council of Northern Ireland. This is to be welcomed. We also receive support from local health service boards in parts of Northern Ireland, depending on what grants may be available, or by way of individual grants such as the big lottery grant. However, to sustain development we are looking for a more concrete source of funding — a line in a budget — that will allow us to plan properly. We very much appreciate the help we are receiving in Northern Ireland but we also require assistance from the Assembly or the Office of the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, from whom we received support for the Belfast games. This was very much appreciated.
I welcome the delegates. I am delighted they are present and I am sure they will receive unanimous support for their requests for funding. Is it the case that the Irish Sports Council provides funding but that Special Olympics Ireland wants direct funding from the Government? We cannot direct the council to give funding because it is more or less independent. A precedent was set in this regard some years ago when we produced a report on women in sport. Following its publication, direct funding was given for initiatives involving women in sport. I do not know if it was granted directly because of the report. I recommend that the Chairman write on behalf of committee members stating we agree to a similar provision for Special Olympics Ireland for 2007. This would not be unreasonable.
Politicians generally supported the Special Olympics games when they were hosted by Ireland. Special Olympics Ireland requested the support of politicians and many politicians joined local committees and were very supportive. They recognised the efforts made by the organisation. However, it is time to recognise it further by providing the necessary funding.
Having been involved with a number of voluntary organisations, I am aware people have grown very weary of fundraising. The time spent fundraising such as arranging raffles could be used to do productive work such as development work, administrative work or coaching. Fundraising is an unnecessary diversion and people are getting tired of it. Ultimately, kids are missing out because people do not have time to give them their full attention. Special Olympics Ireland needs State aid. We will be making a very strong recommendation in this regard.
On primary education and special needs, the most important teacher in a special needs school is the physical education teacher. Very few special needs schools have one. I was once a physical education teacher and helped out in a special needs school near my home. I remember approaching the school in the late 1970s or early 1980s to indicate I would like to do voluntary work but the principal at the time, Sr. Louise, said she would be wary of allowing the kids to do much exercise in case they were injured. I stated exercise would help prevent injury and that it would allow them to handle themselves and grow confident about walking, tumbling and playing ball. The school started a very good programme at the time and would now state this was the correct approach.
Physical education and fitness are paramount in the education of children with special needs. Such children are inclined to put on weight because they are not as active as other children. This can lead to many problems. There is, unfortunately, a prevalence of obesity among kids with special needs. The one way to remedy this is through proper physical activity. Those involved in sports with special needs children must have expertise; not everyone can do it because their approaches and methods must be adapted to suit the children. It demands a different type of coaching and teaching; it is a specialised area. Could I get a pack containing the proposals?
Ms O’Loughlin
I would be delighted to present the Deputy with this pack.
The work done by those involved in Special Olympics Ireland is one of the most important aspects of all services being provided for children with special needs who need our support. I hope we can send a strongly supportive message to the Government for special provision in the budget.
I welcome the delegates and thank them for their presentation. The Labour Party supports Special Olympics Ireland, which support has been indicated across the board.
I received representations in my constituency this morning to support the delegation from Special Olympics Equitation. I have seen good work being done in my area with a riding school helping people with learning disabilities. Twelve sports being catered for were mentioned. Are there others in the pipeline? I have a vested interest, as my 26 year old daughter has Down's syndrome. I am interested in the expansion of activities to broaden the range of sports in which young people compete. What are the growth areas? The group has achieved a great deal but it is important that it keeps moving.
I thank the delegation for the presentation which has been worthwhile. People think politicians know what is going on but the Special Olympics in 2003 opened our eyes to what Special Olympics Ireland was doing in the community. A real feel good factor was apparent. Politicians, however, do not know what is going on and this presentation highlights that while the Departments of Health and Children and Arts, Sport and Tourism are giving grants, ground must be made up through fund-raising which, unfortunately, is difficult these days. This is a small amount in terms of the entire budget for the Department of Health and Children. Without being political, this is an opportune time because the budget will be followed by a general election next year. We are in opposition and it is always easy for us to say it but it would be money well spent.
I thank the group for the work it has done. Deputy Deenihan outlined the problems with obesity and diabetes. Therefore, anything that can be done to improve the situation for those with disabilities through sport is welcome.
We have an issue with voluntarism. The Taoiseach launched an initiative to get more people to volunteer but events in 2003 encouraged people to volunteer, people who had never previously served on a committee before. What is the situation now? Is it difficult to get volunteers of a certain calibre?
I welcome the work of Special Olympics Ireland and Mr. O'Brien and Ms O'Loughlin to the committee. They are doing a great job that we fully support. The Government announced today that every primary school will receive €2,000 to update its PE equipment. We are lucky that the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism is so supportive. He is a very good Minister who is doing a great job.
I fully support him.
He gets great help from his county colleague. I am sure his colleague will make a request following today's meeting and we will see to it to that he delivers.
Senator Feighan said this was an opportune time. The meeting was deliberately arranged for this period. When I was asked to attend the group's briefing, I saw it as an opportunity to speak to the delegation before the budget and achieve consensus in the committee in order that we could write officially to seek funding in the budget for Special Olympics Ireland. The committee will not worry if there is a special provision in the budget from the Minister for Finance or a directive from the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism that Special Olympics Ireland receive money. We are foursquare behind the group and its work and want to help establish core funding to ensure it will not have to wonder what is coming each year.
Mr. O’Brien
Deputy Deenihan made a point about core funding. We are looking for Government support, even though those with a learning disability are not too worried about where the money comes from. We have tried to illustrate in our submission how our projects cross at least four Departments. That is why we are broadening our scope and appreciate the support we receive from the Irish Sports Council. The local sports partnerships, as well as helping with training, are volunteers in the area of child protection, which is appreciated.
The pack is aimed as a tool for the classroom but it fulfils an aspect in the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act which requires the boards of all schools to inculcate in their students an awareness of disability. This is a ready-made tool for them that concentrates on learning disabilities but which can be applied to other disabilities.
Fund-raising is a burden but we try not to let it fall on families. We are blessed with our supporters and friends. Since the Special Olympic Games, more than 100 networks have been established. However, we know from our sponsors, supporters and volunteers, that we will have to raise €2.2 million next year, in addition to the €1.5 million we will, we hope, receive from the Government.
I admire our volunteers who work with people with a learning disability outside school hours. Members know from their community work that not everyone is blessed with the skills that some of our special needs teachers possess. There are volunteers whom we train and support and who offer their skills in the evenings and at weekends, outside their usual work, to help people with learning disabilities participate in sport.
We are lucky in the number of people who have come forward and said they are not daunted by this task and want to help. We give them some orientation training over and above the training needed for volunteers or coaches in other areas of sports training. It is a major task for volunteers who do not work in education but commit themselves to help out in a Special Olympics club. Most of our 18,000 volunteers make themselves available to help at events, whether major ones or area games. We need a great deal of help and supervision at these one and two day events. We value all volunteers but the ones we need most are those who leave their firesides on winter evenings and once a week open up the club premises.
The Special Olympics clubs do not own any premises, they depend on the local community hall, the GAA, hockey or tennis club for facilities. They also depend on these clubs to lend their coaches, who give time to the local Special Olympics clubs in addition to volunteering at local sports clubs. Approximately one third of our volunteers opt for that hard slog and provide the weekly opportunity which culminates in an athlete qualifying for an area competition, Ireland games, and maybe eventually the Special Olympics.
There are approximately 34,000 people with learning disabilities on the island of Ireland. The spectrum ranges from profound to mild disability. Most of the athletes attracted to the Special Olympics are in the middle. Many more of these people could be involved. We have a motor activities programme for those with profound disabilities, in which they can use their mobility skills in challenges such as moving objects, balls or other pieces of equipment. They would not have the skills for football, basketball or other sports. Many of the athletes in that area also have a physical disability and all have mobility problems. Our challenge is to include them too because our motto is "there is a place for everyone", including the person with a profound disability, the volunteer, the business leader, the community leader and the home maker.
At the mild end of the spectrum the family or school of a person aged 13 or 14 might decide the person is able to participate in some team sports and can keep up with others. As Deputy Deenihan knows, however, as that person ages the gap widens. By the time that person is 21 he or she may not be able to play on the team that his or her classmates played on four or five years previously because his or her skill level has not developed to the same extent. That can lead to exclusion. If the Special Olympics can include those at the mild end of the spectrum in sports this can prevent their isolation. We need to explain to parents and school principals that the problem may not manifest itself until the person grows older.
The other challenge is that our population of people with learning disabilities will grow older and remain healthy into old age. The Special Olympics caters for all ages. Our challenge is to consider the sports that will keep older athletes mobile, for example, boccia, a form of French boules, which has been popular here since the last games because it does not require much mobility and the skill level is easy to attain. We must find more such sports to keep the older population of people with learning disabilities active, healthy and part of the community.
Special Olympic competition sports include tennis and kayaking. These are challenging sports in which people with learning disabilities can participate, with the right coaching and equipment. We depend on the governing bodies of those sports to oversee the rules and regulations, for example, the FAI oversees our football tournaments and supplies the referees. That applies to every sport. It is great to see a person with a learning disability playing at that level within an organisation. The FAI awarded a full cap to a Special Olympics women's football team which represented Ireland this summer. This is the first time that a governing body of sport has awarded a full international cap to a team of people with learning disabilities and is a great stride forward.
We are developing new sports and considering issues such as matching people without a learning disability with those who have a learning disability to share sports such as sailing and golf, using alternate shots etc. We will plan to develop those sports in our next five year strategy. That will achieve new sports, integration and a unique partnership. Some committee members alluded to seeing partnership when Roscommon hosted Uganda during the recent games and people had a fantastic time. None of this matters a whit as long as the volunteers and the athletes have a fantastic time. That is what we are trying to achieve.
I thank Mr. O'Brien. If the golf game comprises alternate shots I would be the one with the greater handicap playing beside Oliver Doherty. He would outplay me any day of the week on any course. The Special Olympics case is well made. It speaks for itself and it covers the country. It is rare to see issues come before us with a solution rather than a problem. The committee is delighted to support the Special Olympics.
The joint committee adjourned at 5.30 p.m.until 4.15 p.m. on Wednesday, 22 November 2006.