Seanad debates

Wednesday, 27 November 2019

Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters

Special Educational Needs

10:30 am

Photo of Jim DalyJim Daly (Cork South West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senator for raising the issue of funding for ICARE autism support group and the Bluestack Special Needs Foundation. As Senators may be aware, ICARE was founded in 2000 by a small group of dedicated parents of children with autism. It provides a range of activities for children and young adults with autistic spectrum disorder, ASD, in the Inishowen area of County Donegal. The supports provided by ICARE include informal education and supports for the individual with autism and his or her family, school holiday activities, access to a youth club and support meetings, training and development for families. I acknowledge the extraordinary achievements of the Bluestack Special Needs Foundation since it was established in 2006 by a dedicated group of parents and professionals working in the disability sector. The foundation operates a range of educational, practical and emotional support programmes using a family support model. It provides evening and weekend activities, summer camps and a diverse range of activities.

The family-centred approach adopted by ICARE and the Bluestack Special Needs Foundation is an important move away from a system designed to suit the needs of the service provider and towards a system designed to meet the needs of service users and their families. This model ensures families are empowered by being supported and included in the planning of their children's care. The successful manner in which ICARE and the Bluestack Special Needs Foundation have integrated their services into the community goes an enormous way towards challenging historic patterns of exclusion and is very much to be welcomed. I understand that ICARE and the foundation each received funding of €41,000 from the HSE in 2019 towards the costs of their operations. Submissions for funding from ICARE and the foundation of €41,000 and €86,500, respectively, have been made to the HSE in respect of 2020. The HSE will consider its decision on the level of service to be provided in the context of available resources and priorities for the coming year.

Additional funding of €2 million has been secured under the autism plan in budget 2020 to address health-related issues for individuals with autism. This money will be used to implement an awareness-raising programme that can provide a better information resource for children and parents about the supports that are available; to build capacity and competence among key professionals working with autism, including a national training programme for clinicians; and to implement a tiered model of assessment to improve access to and responses by services for those with autism. It will also be used to fund a campaign to assist in creating awareness of the challenges, needs and experiences of people with autism. The Government remains committed to providing services and supports for people with disabilities in a way that empowers them to live independent lives, gives them greater independence in accessing the services they choose and enhances their ability to tailor the supports required to meet their needs and plan their lives.

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