Léim ar aghaidh chuig an bpríomhábhar
Gnáthamharc

Services for People with Disabilities

Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 10 May 2012

Thursday, 10 May 2012

Ceisteanna (183, 184, 185)

Tom Fleming

Ceist:

183 Deputy Tom Fleming asked the Minister for Health the position regarding the plan Progressing Disability Services For Children and Young People. [23483/12]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

In 2010, the Health Service Executive ( HSE) established a project on progressing disability services for children and young people (0-18 years), supported by a National Coordinating Group, which includes representatives of the Department of Health and the Department of Education and Skills in addition to other key stakeholders. The project aims to address the following issues in relation to children's disability services:

inequity of access to services due to inconsistent development of services;

environmental change arising from the reorientation towards mainstream education leading to increasing demand for health services to support inclusion;

increasing demand for services due to population growth and increased identification of children with disability;

the need to re-align services with emerging primary care and integrated service structures.

The Group's implementation plan encompasses two elements:

ongoing work in coordinating and reorganising early intervention services for children aged 0-5 years into integrated, geographically based teams;

supporting the reorganisation of services for school-age children aged 5-18 years according to the same model.

The vision for the programme is:

One clear pathway to services for all children with disabilities according to need;

Resources used to the greatest benefit for all children and families;

Health and education working together to support children to achieve their potential.

The programme is rolling out at national, regional and local levels. The structures will include parent representatives, representatives from service providers, education sector representatives and other stakeholders.

Sub-groups have been established to address various aspects of the work including:

Mapping current health services available;

The interface between education and health;

Criteria for access to services;

Training required for health staff;

The composition of Early Intervention and School-Age Teams;

Standards and performance reporting.

Tom Fleming

Ceist:

184 Deputy Tom Fleming asked the Minister for Health if he will provide a progress report of the national working group for the review of Health Service Executive funded adult day services. [23484/12]

Amharc ar fhreagra

The National Working Group Report on HSE funded Adult Day Services was published 29th of February 2012 with a detailed implementation plan.

A working group will be established this month under the auspices of the National Consultative Forum to ensure the implementation plan is progressed through a collaborative approach.

The National Consultative Forum includes representative organisations and agencies from the Disability Sector.

Tom Fleming

Ceist:

185 Deputy Tom Fleming asked the Minister for Health if he will provide an update on the plan Time To Move On From Congregated Settings, a strategy for community inclusion; and when this plan will be rolled out. [23485/12]

Amharc ar fhreagra

As the Deputy's question relates to service matters, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply to the Deputy.

Barr
Roinn