Seán Kyne (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Every Member of the House has experience of dealing with parents and families of users of day care services. We see their frustration, tiredness and desperation. Their first priority is looking after their loved one. A common refrain I hear, especially from parents on behalf of their children, is: "I am fighting all my life." They are fighting all their lives on behalf of their loved ones. That is a difficult place to be with regard to a service that is absolutely necessary. Often one sees family members doing the jobs of carers. They become part of the caring process out of love for, and out of obligation to, in some cases, their siblings or parents. That is tough on them. It is tough on young adults and teenagers, who have enough pressures and who might have siblings with a disability. Depending on the type of disability, it can be very hard on teenagers who have their own pressures, their own growing up to do and their own issues with social media, peer pressure and so forth.

I wish to acknowledge the service providers Ability West and the Brothers of Charity in Galway, charities that do excellent work looking after our most vulnerable citizens. Caring is very labour intensive. It is one-on-one caring. The cuts after the economic crash have been slowly reversed, but Covid-19 has had a very negative effect, obviously due to social distancing. Even the wearing of masks can be difficult because that is not what one would do under normal circumstances when caring for a vulnerable person. I am glad the Minister has provided extra reliefs and supports and I commend her on that.

Day services have been massively important for users. They like the routine. They like to know where they are going and to sit in the same place on a bus. They do not like being changed. They like to know that if they are getting on the bus first, they will continue to get on it first, and that if they are getting on it last, they will continue to get on it last. They do not like changes and those are issues that we try to resolve when they are brought to us.

Respite care is a lifeline for parents and siblings. It gives both the carers and other members of the family a chance to have a break and draw breath, to rest and relax and to recharge their batteries. Day care provides invaluable support for parents and families. They know that when they place a loved one in day care the child or adult is safe and in good hands, getting care or training in life skills from professional trainers. The training is very important for the people involved. Areas such as shopping, managing money, personal care and food and nutrition are all dealt with and are beneficial to the service users.I am concerned that day care services have been restricted for users due to Covid and the need to reduce numbers with social distancing. Users might only get two days one week and three the next. Having spoken to people in the services, there is uncertainty regarding transport services after Christmas, which goes back to my point that some of them feel they have been fighting all their lives. Day service staff numbers have been reduced to fill gaps in residential services, with a dependency on taking people from a relief panel when needed. These professionals need certainty in their lives. They have no contracts and even if they are offered one it is often for 20 hours a week which is not enough to allow a person to plan for a career in a very important area.

I am also advised that in some cases the technology in training centres is out of date, as Senator Dolan noted. There is sometimes a policy of making do and renting space rather than having purpose-built facilities. We have to stop the stopgap mentality and put in a properly planned, funded and managed service for our most vulnerable loved ones. Service providers are doing a great job on our behalf. It is our job to see that they get the resources they need to do what they would like to do and what the people who use the services deserve. I again thank the Minister of State for the work she has done so far in her Ministry and the funding that has been provided through this Government, as well as her involvement and advocacy.