Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Deputy and I are on the same page here. It is hugely important. The centre spent five whole years looking at the effect mental illness of a parent has on the family. Family involvement, as the Deputy said, is very important in the recovery process and it is aligned with Sharing the Vision which, as the Deputy knows, is a ten-year plan. To show how important family involvement is I recently set up a reference group to support the work of Sharing the Vision’s national implementation monitoring committee. The group will represent the voice of the service users. There are family members, carers and family supporters on it. The group will ensure that the values of recovery and person-centredness espoused in Sharing the Vision are prioritised in all aspects of the implementation of the policy. It held its first meeting two weeks ago. The organisation Shine is providing the format for it as well as the secretarial support. I attended the very first meeting and met all the group. Group members were so delighted the voice of the family, the voice of the service user and the peer support is all being included.

See this speech in context