Seán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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208. To ask the Minister for Health the funding arrangements in place to avoid the delays experienced in securing appropriate services for persons with a disability upon graduating from school in 2014; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53338/13]

Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
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The HSE National Service Plan for 2014 was submitted to my colleague, the Minister for Health on 25th November and is under consideration at present. The National Service Plan is prepared in accordance with the Health Acts and outlines the type and volume of health and personal services to be provided in 2014. I cannot comment on the provision of funding for specific services in the National Service Plan until the Plan has been approved by the Minister. However, the Minister has indicated to the Director General of the HSE that the provision of placements for school-leavers with disabilities is one of the priority service areas to be addressed in the 2014 National Service Plan.

The Health Service Executive (HSE) has established a National Oversight Group consisting of disability umbrella organisations and HSE Regional Leads for disability services to coordinate a timely response to processing applications for day services and rehabilitative training places for school-leavers graduating in 2014.

I have been informed by the HSE that they are in the process of developing a new centralised regional application process which will be communicated to disability agencies by the end of December with the necessary information for agencies to distribute to parents also available by the end of December. It is envisaged that applications for day service and rehabilitative training places will be required to be returned to service providers by a specified date and young people and their parents will be advised of the option available to them by the middle of 2014.

With regard to young people with special needs currently attending mainstream schools, the HSE will provide information to the Department of Education and Skill's Special Education Support Service for schools to distribute to parents. Specialist disability services should not be the first option considered by a young person currently in mainstream school. The HSE, through its Occupational Guidance Service, will work with schools, service providers, young people and their families to identify training needs and explore suitable options.

Seán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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209. To ask the Minister for Health in the context of the aims and objectives espoused in the report of the disability policy review, if progress has been made on providing persons with a disability and their families with the options of selecting services which best meet their needs; if he will consider piloting a new system such as this in the Health Service Executive west region; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53339/13]

Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
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The Value for Money and Policy Review of Disability Services (VFM Review) which I published in 2012 envisaged that migration to the person centred model would be by means of demonstration projects, developed as proof of concept, and run in parallel with current services, following which their suitability for wider application would be evaluated.

The Health Service Executive (HSE) and disability agencies are already working on demonstration projects, at locations throughout the country, including the West, aimed at giving service users greater choice and control. A significant number of the projects underway show how aspects of the new policy will work in practice. These projects initiated by a range of service providers with the support of the HSE, Genio and the National Federation of Voluntary Bodies involve many different aspects of a more person-centred way of delivering day and residential services. The projects will be analysed in 2014 to determine their wider applicability, clarify the issues which must be resolved before the projects can be scaled up, and identify the best way forward.

Just over 100 of these demonstration projects have been grant-aided by a non-profit organisation, the Genio Trust, with funding provided by the HSE, during the period 2010 – 2013 and they will provide a substantial contribution towards the transition to the new model of person-centred supports.

The grants have been targeted in the following areas:

- Projects to move/keep people out of institutional care by supporting them to live as independently as possible in the community, resulting in institutional closure;

- Active integration of people with disabilities into mainstream work, third level education and leisure activities;

- Measures to strengthen and build networks of support comprising family, friends and neighbours offering alternative respite;

- Empowerment of people with disabilities to take control of their own lives and strengthening of strategic advocacy particularly on the part of people with disabilities.

In addition to the projects which the HSE are funding through Genio, the National Federation of Voluntary Bodies who are based in Oranmore, Co. Galway are working with service providers in the West and in other regions of the country, through the Next Steps and Immersion initiatives, to support demonstration projects and shared learning in respect of the person centred supports model.