Ms Bereneice O'Rourke:

I thank the committee for the opportunity to contribute. I am representative of many of HCCI members across the country. My organisation has been in business for 17 years. In fact, we were one of the founding members of the HCCI and have been calling for regulation since day one. In the area of training and development, we put a large emphasis on respect and dignity in the workplace and for our clients. Obviously, our clients are at the centre of everything we do. We have regular training on the issues the Deputy mentioned. That includes how one speaks to people, such as how one addresses a person of a certain age, for example. We have many carers across the country from all over the world who come and work with us. We have rural and urban offices, so are representative of that divide as well. We have our own in-house academy, as do many HCCI members, and there is a significant emphasis on mental well-being for staff and clients. We have regular reviews on that. Supervision and mentoring are significant in the community. We carry out regular visits to the home while staff are present to watch what the staff are saying to their elderly clients and to be respectful in that regard.