Maria McCormack (Sinn Fein)
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I rise today to highlight an urgent crisis in mental health services in my constituency of Laois and all across Ireland. Save Our Sons and Daughters, SOSAD, is a vital front-line mental health organisation. It is on the brink of closure due to financial constraints at a time when its services have never been in more demand. Last week alone, SOSAD in Portlaoise saw 108 clients compared to 45 during the same week last year. These are people in deep distress, many of whom have nowhere else to turn. SOSAD's interventions save lives. They prevent suicide, provide emergency counselling and ensure people in crisis receive urgent support. SOSAD does not just support people in County Laois. For nearly two decades, SOSAD has been a lifeline for thousands of people in crisis all over Ireland. It has provided free, accessible mental health supports to those at their most vulnerable. Its work in suicide intervention, crisis intervention and bereavement support has saved countless lives. Despite the growing mental health crisis in our communities, this essential service now faces the very real threat of shutting down due to a lack of financial support.

Suicide remains a national tragedy that affects families in every county. SOSAD has been there for people who have nowhere else to turn. It has bridged the gap left by our overstretched public mental health services.It provides immediate access to professional counselling, a service that simply does not exist in a timely manner under the HSE’s current structure.

Despite the growing demand, however, SOSAD has been forced to cut back services. It has had to suspend its text service due to the lack of funding, reducing accessibility for those who may not be able to make a call or attend in person. This means that some of the most vulnerable people, those struggling in silence, are now left without the immediate support they desperately need. SOSAD Portlaoise operates with skeleton staff and relies on the dedication of 33 volunteer counsellors. They are doing everything in their power to keep the service running but the passion and commitment alone cannot keep the lights on. They cannot do it alone.

SOSAD is in the process of applying for HSE governance, a necessary step to secure long-term funding, but this process takes time and the harsh reality is that it may be forced to close its doors before it is complete. What happens to the hundreds of people in Laois who rely on SOSAD if the doors close while they wait for their funding? What alternatives exist for those in immediate crisis? There are none. We cannot allow this to happen. This is an issue of life and death. I urge the Government to take immediate action and improve emergency interim funding for SOSAD to keep this life-saving service open.

Mental health services should not have to rely on charity alone. It is the Government’s responsibility to ensure essential supports like SOSAD are properly funded. This is not just about budgets or funding structures. It is about saving lives. We must not let SOSAD collapse due to bureaucracy or financial shortfalls when it is out there preventing suicide and supporting our most vulnerable. I urge the Government to please take action now.

Marian Harkin (Sligo-Leitrim, Independent)
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On behalf of the Minister of State with responsibility for mental health, Deputy Butler, I thank the Senator for raising this important matter.

The Minister of State is very familiar with the work of Save Our Sons and Daughters, SOSAD, which makes a significant contribution to counselling service provision in north-east Leinster and the midlands. It is important that is acknowledged. SOSAD is currently funded by HSE Louth-Meath mental health services. The Minister of State is aware that in August 2023, SOSAD applied for section 39 funding. This was not progressed at the time because the HSE Louth-Meath mental health service was not procuring new services in 2023 or 2024 and all funding had been allocated in line with the HSE national service plan. I understand that last year, SOSAD’s financial situation deteriorated as fundraising and donations were reducing. This was brought to the attention of the Minister of State in the autumn and she met SOSAD in November 2024, along with officials from the Department of Health, to discuss the situation. Funding to organisations such as SOSAD is arranged through the section 39 scheme administered by the local HSE mental health services. Following the meeting, the Minister of State requested that HSE Louth-Meath make contact with SOSAD to outline the requirements it would have to fulfil in order for any potential funding application to be considered.

HSE Louth-Meath has been in direct contact with SOSAD for approximately four months and the Minister of State’s office receives regular updates on their engagements. As per any negotiations between the HSE and any charity or organisation, information such as audited accounts, annual reports, governance arrangements and board of management details are required so that the HSE can undertake due diligence as part of consideration of any potential funding arrangements.HSE Louth-Meath has requested information on corporate and clinical governance from SOSAD in line with HSE policies and has provided guidance on work SOSAD may need to undertake to comply with these requirements before the HSE can consider making public funding available to the organisation.

We all appreciate the good work SOSAD has done and is doing. The Minister of State, Deputy Butler, works hard each year to increase the amount of funding for counselling and suicide prevention services in our communities. However, the Department of Health and the HSE will always require due diligence and appropriate oversight before funding, which is taxpayers' money, can be transferred to any organisation. With the best will in the world it remains the case that, prior to any funding arrangement, the HSE will need full and complete details on the corporate governance of the organisation such as information on the board responsible for the independent oversight of the management of an organisation and what clinical governance structures are in place. This is particularly important for any organisation that would potentially be providing talk therapies to vulnerable people on behalf of the HSE and as a recipient of public funding.

Maria McCormack (Sinn Fein)
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I thank the Minister of State and I appreciate that this is not her brief. The concern is that the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, met with SOSAD in November 2024 - Deputy Harkin is correct about that - at which stage a promise was made that interim funding would be given while the process of the HSE governance for applying for funding was in place. That promise was made, but it still has not happened. I do not know if that promise is now not on the table anymore.

I respect and understand there are processes that need to be followed in order that SOSAD is in a position to be funded by the HSE. It is an organisation based on volunteers, however, and a lot of its volunteers are actively counselling. I visited Portlaoise last week and talked to approximately 33 volunteer counsellors in the county. There is not a lot of admin staff. They will be left in a situation, while the process is happening and they are back and forward trying get everything in line for HSE governance, that they will end up closing their doors. I see that as a real problem here. Can we find some kind of intervention in order that SOSAD does not have to close its doors and the 108 people in one week last week will not be left with nowhere to go in two or three weeks’ time if we have to close while we wait?

Marian Harkin (Sligo-Leitrim, Independent)
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I cannot comment on promises that were made. I am just here answering questions today. The Senator is aware that grant aid agreements with NGOs must be compliant with necessary spending and governance codes as evidenced by audited accounts and other information such as the details of the organisation's board of directors. My time to respond is short, but the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, recognises the frustration of SOSAD. However, these steps are essential and the HSE is not in a position to provide funding in the absence of information necessary to provide assurance on corporate and clinical governance. These are the same requirements for all bodies to whom the State provides public funding. The HSE remains available to SOSAD should any further guidance be needed. The Minister of State encourages SOSAD to provide the necessary information as soon as possible in order that the HSE can consider its request for funding. I say that to the Senator as earnestly as I can, and I hope it will work out well.