Written answers
Tuesday, 14 October 2008
Department of Social and Family Affairs
Services for People with Disabilities
12:00 pm
David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context
Question 233: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the number of people with disabilities who have availed of community and voluntary organisations advocacy services funded by the Citizens Information Board in 2005, 2006, 2007 and to date in 2008; the number of projects operational and the geographical area covered by them; the number of people accessing these services; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34727/08]
Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context
The Citizens Information Board began a process in 2004 of engaging the community and voluntary sector in the provision of advocacy services to people with disabilities. It also produced advocacy guidelines to inform and guide organisations in the development of advocacy services.
The Community and Voluntary Sector Advocacy programme has to date developed and funded 46 advocacy projects. Each Advocacy project has a Steering Group and reports twice yearly to the Citizens Information Board, with the latest report covering the period up to the end of June 2008.
Up to the end of June 2008, 3,241 members of the public have availed of the services provided by the projects. The breakdown per year is as follows:
2005 — Nil
2006 — 744
2007 — 1,322
June 2008 (6 months) — 1,175
It takes a number of months, from the date of first funding, for projects to set up, recruit and train an advocate and begin seeing clients.
Geographically, the advocacy projects are spread across the country with 16 projects located in the Greater Dublin area (including Wicklow and Kildare), 6 in the Cork-Kerry area, 5 in the Limerick-Clare area, 6 in the West and North West, 4 in the South East, 5 in the Midlands and 4 in the North Eastern area. A list of the projects is contained in the following appendix.
The overall focus of the programme is on representative advocacy for people with a disability. Projects are either cross disability type with a geographic remit, or focused on a particular disability type. 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.
| Appendix: Community and Voluntary Sector Advocacy programme — list of projects |
| Projects |
| Acquired Brain Injury Advocacy Association (BRI) |
| The Acquired Brain Injury Advocacy Association (BRI) is based in the National Rehabilitation Hospital in Dun Laoghaire. In conjunction with Dun Laoghaire Citizens Information Centre the advocate works with people with acquired brain injury. |
| Dementia Rights Advocacy Service — (Alzheimer Society) |
| The Alzheimer Society works on behalf of people with different types of dementia. The service works with people with dementia in the north Dublin area. |
| Ballyfermot Advocacy Service |
| The advocacy service is based in Ballyfermot Citizen's Information Service and provides a service to people with a range of disabilities living in the Ballyfermot area. |
| Ballyhoura Development Ltd |
| Ballyhoura Advocacy Service is available to people with disabilities, residing in the East and South Limerick/North East Cork region. |
| Blanchardstown Area Partnership / Daughters of Charity Navan Rd |
| The advocacy project is based in Blanchardstown Area Partnership, the independent advocate is employed by Blanchardstown Area Partnership and works with residents of the Daughters of Charity Services in Navan Road. |
| Bray Partnership Limited |
| Bray Partnership is a local development company which works with the Bray Disability Cluster group. The advocate is employed by Bray Partnership and works with people with disabilities in the Bray area. |
| Brothers of Charity, Limerick |
| This project recruits, trains and supports volunteer Citizen Advocates who work one to one with residents of Limerick Brothers of Charity services. |
| Cheshire Ireland, Dublin |
| This project is working in three Cheshire Ireland residences, Cara, Barrett and Richmond, to prepare staff and residents and to recruit, train and support Citizen Advocate volunteers who are matched with individual residents and work with them long term. |
| Clare Disability Advocacy Project |
| Clare Citizen Information Service provides an advocacy service to people with intellectual disabilities who access services from the Brothers of Charity and who live in the community in Co. Clare. |
| Clondalkin Advocacy Service |
| The Clondalkin Advocacy Service is an independent professional advocacy service in the Clondalkin/Lucan area for people with disabilities, targeting those who are marginalised and vulnerable. |
| Clondalkin CIS/Peamount Hospital Advocacy Service |
| Based in Clondalkin Citizens Information Service, this independent advocacy service works with residents with intellectual disabilities in Peamount Hospital, Newcastle, Dublin. |
| Enable Cheshire Advocacy Service |
| Cork City Centre & South County Citizens Information Service employs an advocate who provides independent advocacy to people with physical and sensory disabilities within and outside Enable and Cheshire services in the Cork area. |
| County Monaghan Advocacy Service |
| County Monaghan Partnership employs an advocate who works with people with a range of disabilities in Co. Monaghan. |
| DATA, Irish Wheelchair Association, Cork |
| This project provides a one to one advocacy service for people with disabilities in the North Cork area (Mallow and Fermoy). |
| Disability Advocacy Service — Dublin 15 |
| Blanchardstown Centre for Independent Living and project partner Blanchardstown/Dublin 15 CIC provides an advocacy service for people with disabilities in the South Fingal area. |
| Disability Equality Specialist Support Agency(DESSA), Waterford |
| DESSA's partners are the Family Support Agency and St. Brigid's Family Resource Centre Waterford. This project offers representative advocacy to people with disabilities in the Waterford area through the Family Resource Centre model. |
| Clare Independent Advocacy Service |
| In partnership with NCBI and the Clare Network of People with Disabilities, Disabled People of Clare employs an advocate who provides representative, independent advocacy to people with disabilities in Clare. |
| Donegal Physical & Sensory Disability Consortium |
| The consortium is made up of the HSE and many of the disability organisations in the Donegal area. Lead agency is the National Council for the Blind of Ireland (NCBI). The Consortium provides a professional advocacy service for people with disabilities in Donegal. |
| Dublin Leader Advocacy Service (DLAS) |
| A partnership between Dublin 7 Centre for Independent Living, CIL Carmichael House, Dublin Leader Forum and the Macro Resource Centre, the project extends the restricted advocacy services available to CIL members to those with disabilities in residential and family settings. |
| Eastern Vocational Enterprises (EVE) Ltd & TUISCINT |
| ASPIRE, Tuiscint, KITE and Gheel are partners in this project which provides a one-to-one, case based advocacy service for people with Aspergers Syndrome, sometimes known as high functioning autism, to help them address their needs. |
| Galway Advocacy Service |
| Galway Centre for Independent Living in conjunction with Enable Ireland, NAD Galway, Brothers of Charity Galway, Galway Citizen's Information Centre & NUI Galway. The project provides professional advocacy to people with disabilities living in Co. Galway. |
| Inclusion Ireland — Moore Abbey Monasterevin & St Joseph's Disability Service, St Ita's Portrane |
| Inclusion Ireland employs and advocate who provides an independent advocacy service to people with disabilities in Moore Abbey and St Joseph's Disability Services in Ita's, Portrane. |
| Inclusion Ireland & Regional Behavioural Support Service, Co. Monaghan |
| Inclusion Ireland employs an advocate who provides an independent advocacy service to people with learning disabilities and challenging behaviour in the Regional Behavioural Support Services in Monaghan, Louth and Meath. |
| Irish Wheelchair Association, Wexford |
| The Wexford IWA project provides a one to one advocacy service for people with disabilities in the Wexford area. Project partners include National Council for the Blind, Wexford Centre for Independent Living and the Carnew Centre. |
| Co. Leitrim Citizens Information Service |
| Led by Co. Leitrim CIS in conjunction with Leitrim Association of People with Disabilities and others, this project provides a service to people with disabilities in Co. Leitrim. |
| Longford Advocacy Forum |
| This project is based in Longford Citizens Information Service. It includes a large number of project partners and works with people with disabilities in the Longford area. |
| Co. Mayo CIS and Partners |
| This project is based in Mayo Citizens Information Service. Partners include NLN, CIL, HSE and the Western Care Association. The project works with people with disabilities in the community. |
| Midway (Meath Intellectual Disability Work Advocacy You Ltd) |
| MIDWAY and partners Enable Ireland & EVE Holdings provide an independent advocacy service targeting adults with disabilities living in various settings throughout Co. Meath. |
| MS Ireland, Monaghan |
| The MS Society of Ireland advocacy project provides an independent advocacy service to clients with Multiple Sclerosis and other neurological disorders in the North East area. |
| National Learning Network (NLN) |
| The National Representative Council is the forum for people using NLN services. The project employs two advocates to liaise with existing NLN self-advocacy groups and provide a representative advocacy service to NLN learners. |
| North Kildare CIS / St Raphaels and Dara Residential Services, Celbridge |
| Based in North Kildare Citizens Information Service in Maynooth CIC, the independent advocate is employed by North Kildare CIS and works with residents(with intellectual disabilities) of St Raphaels Residential Service and Dara Residential in Celbridge. |
| Offaly Disability Advocacy Service (ODAS) |
| Co. Offaly CIS with partners; CIL, FAS, NAD, NCBI, HSE and others provides an advocacy service for people with a disability living in Co. Offaly. |
| People with Disabilities Ireland, Westmeath |
| People with Disabilities in Ireland is a network of national grassroots disability organisations. In partnership with the Midlands HSE the project provides a representative advocacy service for adults with intellectual disabilities living in 2 residential centres in the midlands. |
| Roscommon Advocacy Network |
| Roscommon Citizens Information Service employs the advocate who works with this project. RAN provides one-to-one independent, representative advocacy, for people with disabilities in Co. Roscommon. |
| Ar nglor Advocacy |
| Schizophrenia Ireland and the Irish Advocacy Network support mental health survivors in speaking up for themselves. This project provides an advocacy service for people with mental health issues in the community, particularly those leaving mental health hospitals. |
| Sliabh Luachra Advocacy Service for People with Intellectual Disabilities, Co .Kerry |
| Sliabh Luachra Advocacy Services for People with Intellectual Disabilities provides a professional advocacy service for people with an intellectual disability. Partners include Sliabh Luachra Local Development and Kerry Parents and Friends (Castleisland). |
| Sligo Interagency Disability Group |
| This is a partnership of most of the intellectual disability service providers in Sligo. The project focuses on four groups, including three residential services, all for people with learning disabilities. The advocate is employed by Sligo Citizens Information Service. |
| Cork Advocacy Service |
| Cork Advocacy Service, a development of the Cork Older People's Advocacy Service, is provided by The Social and Health Education Project in Cork and Kerry. CAS provides an advocacy service for people with physical, sensory and intellectual disability, mental health issues and difficulties associated with ageing in Cork. Partners include the DFI and CIL, Cork. |
| Cumas Advocacy Service ( formerly SEAS) |
| Centres for Independent Living (CILs) support individuals with disabilities in leading self-determined lives and participating in society. Carlow CIL employs an advocate to work with people with disabilities in the Carlow / Kilkenny area. |
| STEER Ireland Ltd., Co Donegal |
| STEER is a community-based mental health service user initiative that is a partnership between service users and carers/ family members. The project provides a service to mental health service users — those who have been in and out of psychiatric units and are now living in supported accommodation. |
| Tallaght Disability Advocacy Service |
| Tallaght CIS, St John of Gods Menni services and Firhouse Day Activity Centre have come together to establish a collaborative response to advocacy needs of people with disabilities in the community. The advocacy service works with people with disabilities in the Tallaght area. |
| Tipperary Advocacy Service |
| Tipperary Town Irish Wheelchair Association, NCBI and North Tipperary Support Services provide an advocacy service to work directly to assist people with disabilities in the Tipperary area and also to represent the interests of groups of people with disabilities. |
| Waterford Advocacy Project |
| Waterford Citizens Information Service provides an advocacy service to people with intellectual disabilities who access services from the Brothers of Charity and who live in the community in the Waterford area. |
| West Limerick Independent Living |
| West Limerick CIL acts as a catalyst and an enabler for people with disabilities to live independently in their chosen community. The aim of this advocacy initiative is to provide an advocacy service in Limerick City and county, for people with disabilities living in the community seeking social services. |
| Westmeath Mental Health Advocacy Network |
| Westmeath Citizens Information Service, in partnership with the Westmeath Mental Health Advocacy Network provides a mental health advocacy service in Co. Westmeath, initially in Athlone town. |
| Youghal Advocacy Project, Co Cork |
| Based in Mental Health Ireland in Cork, the independent advocate is employed by Mental Health Ireland and works with residents of St Raphael's Residential Service in Youghal. Partners include Ait na nDaoine Community Development Project and Cobh CIC. |
No comments