Phil Prendergast (Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Moloney, to the House. I raise the issue of the Befriending Service in south Tipperary. It is a community-based service of South Tipperary Mental Health and Voluntary Housing Association. The mission statement of this befriending project indicates it supports and empowers the people using its services to identify and achieve their goals and it offers companionship and support on the journey towards recovery. It is a volunteer befriending service for people over 18 years of age living in the community who are experiencing mental health problems. The ethos of the project is to foster independence, promote self-empowerment, build self-confidence and self-esteem and reduce social isolation. Research has shown that one in four people will experience mental health problems at some time in their lives. Many people, following discharge from inpatient services, feel isolated within communities, lack confidence and find it difficult to access social, educational and cultural amenities.

The mental health service in south Tipperary set up this project in 2006 and it was launched with a €25,000 grant from HSE south east at the time. Further funding of €10,000 was given through the Clonmel RAPID programme to augment the service and the proceeds of fundraising made up the balance of funding required. This service is heavily reliant on volunteers who do not receive payment for their time as they are volunteers. They have comprehensive training in confidentiality, listening skills, positive mental health, suicide awareness and stress management. Ongoing training, support and supervision is provided. It is an essential part of the project and is provided by the co-ordinator and steering committee with the added support of south Tipperary Mental Health and Voluntary Housing Association.

The project works because there is one to one befriending, which is the core activity of the project. One to one befriending endeavours to encourage independence, self-empowerment and identification of goals. The befriendee and volunteer are carefully matched by the co-ordinator who is also supported by a referral committee. The befriendee will define his or her personal goal and a contract is signed. The co-ordinator monitors progress and is available to assess it and as a means of support and advice. Generally there is a limited relationship which will enable the befriendee to widen his or her social network and increase his or her awareness. Overall, the project has been found to have a positive impact.

A user satisfaction questionnaire was sent to a random group of people who are users of the south Tipperary Befriending Service. All respondents stated there were very satisfied with the service provided and that they would recommend it to other people.

I raise this matter because this service is being discontinued and the co-ordinator will receive her P45 this week. It is being discontinued because funding of €20,000, which is needed to run the service for a year, has not been given by the HSE. I ask the Minister of State to ensure this service is continued because of the strong and positive issues it raises. I ask him to ensure this service is funded to the tune of €20,000 per annum.

John Moloney (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I apologise to Senator Prendergast and the House for arriving a little late. I thank the Senator for raising this matter as it gives me the opportunity to acknowledge at first hand the tremendous work being carried out by the many groups and volunteers throughout the country. I met Martin Rogan concerning a similar project in Dublin some months ago. These groups work to empower people with mental health problems. Within this Department, the key issue is the area of recovery and the first step to achieving that is a supported befriending service. In my capacity as Minister of State, I am fortunate to have met representatives of many community and voluntary groups. I am acutely aware, therefore, of the role of such groups in helping vulnerable persons and the positive impact their work can have on individuals and communities.

I want to address the specific issue raised by the Senator, which is the provision of funding for the befriending service in south Tipperary. I understand a funding application for €20,000 was received in the HSE's local health office in Tipperary. I acknowledge the contribution and support of Senator Prendergast on this specific issue on the ground in Tipperary. I also fully recognise her professional involvement. As Senators will no doubt be aware, the allocation of core funding to voluntary groups will be a matter for the HSE. In these circumstances the application will be considered by the HSE and it will have my support - the Senator asked me that direct question. I spoke to a befriending group in Dublin. There is little point in publicly supporting an issue if privately one will not put one's shoulder to the wheel and seek financial support for it.

We have discussed the report, A Vision for Change, on many occasions. The key issue in that report is to try to involve the services within the community. I want to come before the House as soon as I can to explain the Government's position on the report, A Vision for Change, and how we intend to fund the new models proposed and supported within the community. I assure the Senator I will return to the specific issue of how services such as the Befriending Service are to be funded. I will inform the House before the summer recess about the capital programme and give the House a clear timeframe as to the sale of assets one to 12.

Senator Prendergast has raised this issue with me on other occasions. I have always recognised the importance of having a director for mental health and I hope to clarify this point to the House soon. I reaffirm the commitment to A Vision for Change. I fully acknowledge that this programme is now entering its fourth year of a ten-year programme and it is important to deliver the recommendations contained therein within the remaining six years. It is timely to review the programme and I propose to hold such a review some time in July and consider how many of the recommendations have been delivered, how the community support services which the Senator quite properly demands are to be funded, and to set down clear timeframes with price tags attached.

The Befriending Service is an example of a very worthwhile and valuable community initiative and such initiatives are the cornerstone of A Vision for Change. A mental health reform programme should be based on strong, community mental health programmes. I am aware that some Senators may not be familiar with the work of the Befriending associations so I will outline the work they undertake. The Befriending Service assists people with mental health difficulties to re-establish personal interests and social contacts within the community and by motivating and supporting vulnerable persons, the service develops an individual's independence and encourages him or her to reintegrate into the local community. Befriending is essentially about building a relationship between a volunteer and a person to be befriended. Volunteers undergo preparatory training which includes mental health awareness, confidentiality and listening skills. The service then works to match clients and volunteers based largely on their shared interests and hobbies. This enables a person to widen his or her social network, increase his or her independence and help individuals make informed choices, thus supporting them to live their life to the full. The ethos of the Befriending Service is very much in line with the recommendations in A Vision for Change, the Government's policy for the development of our mental health services.

Mental health is a resource that needs to be promoted and protected. One of the fundamental principles of A Vision for Change is recovery. People with mental illness must be facilitated in reclaiming their lives and becoming involved in society. To achieve this, people need supportive mental health services, but they also need supportive communities. As the stigma attached to mental illness is one of the biggest challenges we face, putting the message about in the community that it is all right to admit to being depressed or lonely is key.

A Vision for Change refers to a model for recovery. It is important we work towards a policy aimed at eliminating the stigma attached to mental illness. I have brought together a group of 12 to 15 people. These are not experts but rather people who are internationally recognised in the areas of the arts, sport and politics. This group meets every month to work on the elimination of the stigma attached to those with mental illness. I hope to invite the editors of local radio and print media to become part of an ongoing process whereby they might play a role in providing supports to those recovering from mental illness either in their print or broadcast media. This is in line with the Senator's suggestion by way of the Befriending Service. I assure her that I will give it my support and I will be saying so to the Health Service Executive, HSE. Senator Keaveney proposed that the Joint Committee on Health and Children discuss the involvement of the creative arts as a support.

I intend to come back to the House to explain the reform package and my target date is July. There is no point in coming back with piecemeal information. I am planning a campaign to remove the stigma and to create the notion of mental well-being. I will give the House the timescale for the establishment of the community mental health teams. The HSE is often criticised for a lack of initiative in some areas but I welcome the initiative to co-locate community mental health teams within primary care centres. Of the 200 proposed, a total of 100 will cater for mental health.

The work carried out at local community level by the Befriending Service is helping to change the way we view the recovery process and I commend the organisation on its commitment and vision in delivering this valuable service. I also pay tribute to the individual volunteers who give up their time and energy to befriend those who are anxious, depressed or suicidal. They are making a real difference in people's lives. I thank the Senator for raising this matter and I will correspond directly with her about my support for this application.