Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

An adult. She is now living independently with the help of two other charities in Cork with which she has engaged. Those charities receive minimal Government funding. They receive very little vis-à-viswhat this provider is receiving, albeit for this one individual, who is one of many. Mr. Higgins talked earlier about how we are trying to switch from a clinical model to a community and social model. I mentioned the Rainbow Club during the suspension, and its representatives appeared before the committee a couple of weeks ago to talk about how that model is working. It is already there, and although it might not be perfect, it can be tweaked. People are voting with their feet, whether we like it or not. More than 1,100 people are now engaged with that service in Cork. Community models such as that are far more efficient than the majority of service providers, at least in Cork, in my experience. That model needs to be looked at, replicated and perhaps tweaked and tailored to meet local needs. How progressed is that model? Are we talking months or years? Mr. Higgins might comment on that.