Written answers

Wednesday, 26 September 2007

Department of Social and Family Affairs

Advocacy Services

10:00 pm

Photo of Enda KennyEnda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 114: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the number of personal advocates to be recruited for the new personal advocacy service under the Citizens Information Board and where advocates will be located; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20802/07]

Photo of John PerryJohn Perry (Sligo-North Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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Question 137: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if work has begun on establishing a personal advocacy service for people with disabilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20780/07]

Photo of Martin CullenMartin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 114 and 137.

The introduction of a personal advocacy service is provided for in the Citizens Information Act, 2007. The Act has as its primary purpose the amendment of the Comhairle Act, 2000, to assign additional and enhanced functions to the Citizens Information Board, formerly Comhairle, which operates under the aegis of my Department, to enable it to introduce a personal advocacy service to individuals, in particular those with a disability. The service will assist the individuals concerned in identifying and understanding their needs and options and assist them in securing their entitlements to social services. Social services are broadly defined and include health, social welfare, education, family support, housing, taxation, citizenship, consumer matters, employment and training, equality, asylum and immigration.

The development of advocacy services is a priority for my Department and in this regard additional funding of €1.9m has been provided for the Citizens Information Board in 2007 for the development of a personal advocacy service for people with disabilities and for the implementation of the Disability Sectoral Plan. The Personal Advocacy Service will be initially located in Dublin. When the service is well established, it is anticipated that advocates will be located in a number of key highly populated areas around the country. However, it is not possible at this stage to give estimates of the number of advocates to be employed.

An organisational structure has been developed by the Citizens Information Board to meet the needs of the Personal Advocacy Service. Discussions between my Department, the Department of Finance and the Citizens Information Board are ongoing in relation to these structures and the additional staffing resources required for the provision of the service. Temporary accommodation has been identified to facilitate the immediate needs of the service and it is envisaged that the post of Director of the Personal Advocacy Service will be advertised shortly.

In 2004 the Citizens Information Board began the process of engaging the community and voluntary sector in the provision of advocacy services to people with disabilities and also produced advocacy guidelines to inform and guide organizations in the development of advocacy services.

Thirty projects have been funded since 2004 to deliver representative advocacy services to people with disabilities, some of which are cross disability type, with others specifically targeting one particular type of disability. Each of the projects poses different challenges, some requiring more intensive work with smaller caseloads while others have larger caseloads with shorter periods of client contact. This year another 15 projects have been approved for funding. It is envisaged that structures and staffing resources will be in place to enable the new service to be up and running in 2008.

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