Ms Emilia Marchelewska:

It is very true that healthcare can be very focused and fragmented. Health assessments can be done by considering vaccination alone, for example, or they can be done by accounting for a person's entire set of needs and linking to appropriate supports. It does happen that mental health services look only at mental health and not at other needs. There is a huge role for social workers and occupational therapists in this sphere. Let me give a practical example. I supported a lady who, on the same day that she got a job and signed a contract, received a letter stating she was to be transferred to a different accommodation centre on the other side of the country. However, she was very resilient and built a support network, so what she wanted happened. She ended up at a Garda station, where she said she had a job and wanted to stay where she was. She did stay and really fought very hard to do so. If the services worked together, something that is health enhancing and that contributes to society and keeps a person healthy would not be denied. The whole situation was very traumatising. We talk about trauma-informed care and a trauma-informed society, but these are not really happening for the population in question. It is different in the community sector because we have a person-centred approach. At Cairde, we provide support and advocacy services and run community development projects through which we examine the needs of the person. We are needs driven, respond to people's needs and understand that we have to consider people as a whole, accounting for families, society and the environment.