AN ORDINARY LIFE - Supporting Choice, Control & Fairness for People with an Intellectual Disability in Ireland
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Welcome to the National Federation
Newsletter Summer Edition
Issue 47
AN ORDINARY LIFE
– Supporting Choice, Control & Fairness for People
with an Intellectual Disability in Ireland
The National Federation of Voluntary Bodies has developed the following key messages, which will
form the basis of our Pre-Budget 2017 Campaign Strategy:
Key Messages:
1. Austerity measures implemented by this State have had a devastating impact on services for
people with an intellectual disability, and their families, throughout the country. The sector is
now in crisis.
2. Since 2006, the absence of Capital Investment means that there are an insufficient number of
new homes where people with an intellectual disability can live and day centres where they can
go during the day to undertake meaningful activities.
3. There are 17,883 people with an intellectual disability who are on waiting lists for services. An
additional 10,943 people require new or enhanced services as their needs change over time.
9,550 need a place to live;
4,629 need somewhere to go during the day to participate in work / educational
activities;
19,954 are on waiting lists for therapy services such as speech and language therapy,
occupational therapy, psychology, etc;
3,704 people with an intellectual disability, and their families, are in need of a respite
break.
4. In this period of economic recovery it is imperative that people with an intellectual disability
who are in crisis are prioritised.
5. We call on Government to make provision for investment of an additional €100m per annum
for the next five years 2017-2021.
Member organisations have been requested to meet with all the elected public representatives in
their functional area advising them of our key messages and seeking their support for them in the
context of Budget 2017. It is important that all public representatives are made aware of the impact
of the austerity measures and significantly reduced capital and revenue investment in our sector since
2008. Where possible, a parent should accompany senior staff at these meetings.
The National Federation urges all member organisations to support our key messages and ensure a
whole of Federation approach to this Pre-Budget 2017 Campaign Strategy and highlighting to
Government that people with an intellectual disability, and their families, need to be urgently
prioritised in all future budgetary decisions.
Time to Move on from Congregated Settings
The HSE has published its first information bulletin on the
implementation of the ‘Time to Move on from Congregated
Settings’ report. The aim of the bulletin is to keep people
informed on progress as the strategy is rolled out.
The bulletin provides information on:
the background to the Congregated Settings report;
the relationship of the Congregated Setting
implementation process to the HSE’s ‘Transforming
Lives’ programme (which is the implementation
programme of the Value for Money report on Disability
Services);
the work to date of the National Subgroup leading the
implementation;
details of the Community Living Transition Plan Toolkit
and;
links to a communications framework for those working
to support people to move from Congregated Settings,
a Stakeholder Mapping Plan, and action plan templates.
You can download the bulletin by clicking on the picture to the left or by visiting the following link:
http://www.hse.ie/eng/services/list/4/disability/congregatedsettings/BulletinJul16.pdf
Attending to the Needs of School Leavers and those
Exiting RT in 2016
Attending to the needs of school leavers and those exiting RT in 2016 has been a key focus of the work
of the National Federation over recent months.
Agreement was reached in March 2016 to release €1m of the 2016 allocation to enable providers
identify and prepare appropriate service locations. Agreement was also reached in March 2016
regarding the release of an additional €2m once off funding to support the preparation of new
locations or the refurbishment of existing service locations to prepare for the September intake.
While the introduction of the Profiling Exercise in 2016 was viewed as providing a much more accurate
basis for a fairer and more equitable allocation of school leaver funding and was carried out in a
uniform and transparent manner throughout the country it only examined two specific areas (1)
activities of daily living and (2) behaviours that challenge affecting self or others. It did not consider
supports required to connect, integrate and maintain a person in community life as required under
New Directions Policy. This will inevitably lead to difficulties as an individual presenting with a very
low score in the profiling exercise may well require proportionally higher supports to be involved in
community life.
As a National Federation we will be calling for this important issue to be addressed in the planning
work which will be done to meet the needs for 2017-2019.
The scale of the challenge in meeting the needs of young adults in 2016 became apparent after the
letters of allocation were issued. Although the allocation represented an increase on the 2015 funding
package, the allocation of €13m in 2016 was not adequate. For example, it was noted that over half
(475) of the people requiring a service in 2016 fell into a funding band of €7,000 or less, which equates
to €23 per day to cover pay costs making it impossible to provide supports to any acceptable level of
safety and quality. Our concerns in this regard were communicated to HSE in May 2016 and following
a meeting with the HSE in early June 2016 the overall allocation to meet the needs in 2016 was
increased to €16.2m.
While this increase in funding was very much welcomed by all the sector there is undoubtedly an
ongoing difficulty with resourcing supports for a growing population of young adults who are
graduating from schools and exiting Rehabilitative Training annually.
We need urgently to increase the size of the annual allocation and the National Federation of
Voluntary Bodies has committed itself in writing to work collaboratively with the HSE in making the
case to Government to achieve this aim.
Brian O’Donnell
Chief Executive.
National Intellectual Disability Database
Art Competition
On Wednesday the 22nd June the final of the National Intellectual Disability Database (NIDD) art
competition took place in the offices of the National Federation Secretariat in Oranmore. Sarah Craig,
Head of the National Health Information Systems in the Health Research Board, alongside her
colleague Anne Marie Carew, and James Rocke, Director of Finance, Western Care Association, came
along to judge this year’s art competition. Brian Donohoe from the National Federation team also
assisted in the judging of the competition.
There were over 122 entries to
this year’s competition.
Individuals from organisations
across the National Federation
submitted their art entries
after an internal competition
was held within their own
services to pick a finalist to go
through to the National
competition. There was a
fantastic standard of art both
from individual and group
entries. This made the job of
picking a winner very
challenging to say the least.
Congratulations to the winner of this year’s competition, Mr David McKenna! David attends art
classes in Stewarts Care Ltd. His wonderful design has been used for the cover of the National
Intellectual Disability Database Committee’s Annual Report 2015.
David, originally from Drumcondra, attends Mill Lane Training
Centre at Stewarts Care, Palmerstown, Dublin. David is
delighted that his artistic talent has, once again, been
recognised! David has a great interest in all types of art and
crafts, ranging from ceramic work to painting and more. His
creative abilities are very impressive. In his free time David
enjoys to relax with a pint of Guinness, playing Frisbee and most
importantly – dinners out with his mam.
NCSE - Policy Advice on Supporting Students with
Autism Spectrum Disorder
On Friday 15th July, 2016 the National Council for Special
Education (NCSE) published its policy advice on Supporting
Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder. The policy advice has
been presented to the Department of Education and Skills, and
an implementation group will now be formed to examine the
next steps necessary to give effect to the measures within the
policy advice. The NCSE also published two research reports on the same day, which were
commissioned by the NCSE to provide a robust evidence base for the policy advice provided to the
Department.
The policy advice contains 11 key recommendations, which include increased training for teachers
in mainstream schools on meeting the educational needs of students with ASD, a focus on
transition planning, and the provision of ring-fenced multidisciplinary supports.
Further information on the policy advice and the two research reports published can be
downloaded at the following link: www.ncse.ie
A guide for parents, guardians and students was launched with the report and can be downloaded
at the link above.
Housing News
A number of key developments have taken place over the summer months that are particularly
relevant to our member organisations in their work to support people with intellectual disabilities in
accessing housing.
Capital Assistance Scheme
The Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government announced in June that it is
now accepting applications for capital funding for the delivery of housing through either the
construction or acquisition of accommodation, to cater for the priority groups under the Capital
Assistance Scheme (CAS) such as homeless persons, elderly, people with a disability with a particular
emphasis, but not exclusively, on moving people with a disability from a congregated setting into
community based living.
In order to progress implementation of the National Housing Strategy for People with a Disability
2011-2016, which supports the Government’s deinstitutionalisation policy, the Department has
allocated ring-fenced funding of €10m from the 2016 CAS budget specifically to provide
accommodation for people with a disability moving from a congregated setting into community based
living. In order to maximise effectiveness and full expenditure in 2016, this ring-fenced funding will
support the acquisition of properties that will facilitate this transition.
Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) and service providers will be required to adhere to the Guiding
Principles and Specific Requirements set out in
Circular 45/2015. This requires AHBs and service
providers to engage with housing authorities and
the HSE in developing proposals that will support
people with disabilities to move out of congregated
settings. Those applying for funding will be required
to include certification to this effect when
submitting proposals to local authorities.
Full details of the funding call can be accessed
through the Irish Council for Social Housing website
http://www.icsh.ie/content/icsh-news/capital-assistance-scheme-call-proposals-2016
Some important information to note regarding the Capital Assistance Funding Scheme call for 2016:
€10million of the overall funding is ring-fenced for use in supporting people to move from
Congregated Settings.
Applications to this fund in 2016 must focus on acquisitions rather than building (as it is hoped
that projects can be completed this year and further funding released next year).
Rather than a set application date as was the case in previous years, this year’s CAS call will
be assessed on a rolling basis with the final possible date for application coming in November
for 2016 monies.
Housing for people with disabilities can be included in the wider non-ringfenced portion of
the funding.
Circular 45/2015 must be adhered to for all CAS applications for people with disabilities and
the HSE and Local Authority must sign off on all applications.
Construction projects for 2017 should begin planning work now and should aim for application
dates before November 2016 in order to have completion dates in 2017.
It is advisable to work with Approved Housing Bodies in your local area and to liaise with the
Local Authority’s Housing and Disability Steering Group in your county with regards to
proposed funding applications.
Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness
On 19 July 2016, the Government published its Action Plan for Housing
and Homelessness. The aim of this plan is:
“to provide a whole-of-Government, multi-stranded, action-oriented
approach to achieving many of the Government’s key housing
objectives, as set down in the Programme for a Partnership
Government, to significantly increase the supply of social housing, to
double the output of overall housing from the current levels to at least
25,000 per annum by 2020, to service all tenure types, and to tackle
homelessness in a comprehensive manner”.
The overall plan aims to make available 47,000 social housing units by 2021 with an investment of
€5.35 billion.
The plan makes specific commitments in relation to housing for people with disabilities, including the
extension of the work of the National Housing Strategy for People with Disabilities 2011-2016 to
ensure that the aims of this strategy continue to be progressed beyond its original timeframe, and a
commitment to review the take-up of the €10million CAS funding ring-fenced for supporting people
to move from Congregated Settings in 2016, with a view to providing further funding in 2017 and
2018.
Further information on the plan is available at: http://www.housing.gov.ie/housing/policy/launch-
rebuilding-ireland-action-plan-housing-and-homelessness
Ahead of the launch of the Action Plan, Senator John Dolan tabled a Private Members Motion on
Housing for People with Disabilities in the Seanad. The full text of this debate can be accessed at the
following link: https://www.kildarestreet.com/sendebates/?id=2016-07-13a.234 .
The debate includes contributions from Senators John Dolan, Colette Kelleher, and former Minister
for Housing Paudie Coffee. Minister Simon Coveney made a statement during the debate on the
specific elements of the Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness relevant to disability.
Informing Families
Information materials for families at the time of diagnosis
An important support for families at the time of their child’s
diagnosis with a disability is the provision of information.
Families have told us through the national research
undertaken by the Informing Families Project that in
addition to information on the diagnosis, they welcome
information on services and supports, entitlements and
benefits, and information on the emotional journey that
can take place at the time of diagnosis.
The National Federation responded to this research, and
the finding that over 60% of families had not received
written information, by developing a website in
collaboration with families and professionals from
hospitals, community and disability services in the Cork region during the pilot implementation of the
National Best Practice Guidelines for Informing Families of their Child’s Disability. The website was
developed using an evidence-based approach working from the national research, and was translated
into 7 languages, with the support of HSE Social Inclusion (Gaeilge, Polish, Russian, Lithuanian,
Romanian, French and Brazilian Portuguese). The materials for families were fully reviewed in 2015
and comprehensive evaluation of the use of the live website continues. The HSE is currently
developing a website of information to support families in understanding the implementation of the
Progressing Disability Services for Children and Young People programme. Having reviewed the
Informing Families website it was agreed that the HSE website and www.informingfamilies.ie will work
in a complementary manner - with both websites providing distinct information and prominent links
to one another.
If you are involved in supporting families of children at, or soon after the time of diagnosis please
provide them with the link to the information for families on: www.informingfamilies.ie. If you
require any further information on this website or the resources available please contact
alison.harnett@fedvol.ie
Informing Families' supports now used in Bulgaria
The international use of the materials of the Informing
Families Project, and its evidence-based learning on how to
communicate with and support families when their child has
been diagnosed with a disability, continues to grow. We
have been delighted to share our learning with our
colleagues from Bulgaria, and recently had an opportunity
to meet with clinical psychologist Ms. Sevdzhihan Eyubova,
from the Medical University of Varna, to hear about how the
Informing Families research and materials have been useful
in training professionals who communicate with families
about the news of their child's disability in Bulgaria.
In 2014 and 2015 a mobile team of 13 psychologists from the Karin Dom Foundation visited 32
hospitals across Bulgaria. They met and provided 36 training inputs for more than 290 medical
specialists across the country – neonatologists, gynaecologists, nurses and midwifes who work in
delivery rooms and Neonatology units.
The training took place as part of a wider major national project for social inclusion and aimed to
increase the knowledge and skills of specialists who work with families with children with disabilities.
The 2-day training consisted of 6 educational modules – Communication, Stages of Grief, Family-
Centred Approach, Management of Work-related Stress, Early Intervention, and How to tell parents
that their child has disability - functional approaches.
All of the trainers were carefully selected and equipped with
manuals and contemporary tools including the “Safe Cross Code”
which was developed by the Informing Families Project in Cork,
and which was translated and used with the permission of
National Federatıon of Voluntary Bodies, Ireland.
You can click here to download the Bulgarian version of the
poster that prepares professionals to communicate with families
whose child is diagnosed with a disability. All of the English
language materials, including the best practice guidelines and a
one hour e-learning module for professionals are available at
www.informingfamilies.ie.
Inclusive Research Network (IRN) Update
So far in 2016 the Inclusive Research network IRN has moved on from Our Homes
Project, which was launched successfully last November. IRN members agreed on
a subject for their next Research project which will be done over the next 2-3
years. The project will be on Health and Fitness in general and what are people’s
experience when going to the doctor.
The IRN has also produced its first
edition of its new Magazine
“Working Together” which includes
stories, word puzzles and general
IRN News.
The Handbook
The IRN has also decided to produce a Handbook for people who may want to join IRN. It will help tell
people about being a member of IRN. The following list below are what you will find in the Handbook:
History of the IRN (Inclusive Research Network)
Research projects so far
Upcoming research projects
Professional academics
Similar projects elsewhere
Institutional involvement
What is expected of members
Who is a member
When are we meeting next/how to meet
The Inclusive Research Network is also getting a lot of invitations to be part of other Research
and to share its knowledge of research with others.
Criminal Law Sexual Offences Act
A discussion took place on issues surrounding this piece of legislation in
order to let people in Government know that people with Intellectual
Disability understand these matters and can talk about them.
Brian Donohoe
Secretary to IRN
Restrictive Practices Task Group
In April 2015, Brian McDonald, Positive Behaviour Support
Manager in Ability West, presented a paper to the National
Federation’s Quality and Standards Sub Committee on the
topic of restrictive practices and concerns arising for member
organisations in this context. Following the presentation and
subsequent discussions it was agreed that a National
Federation Working Group would be established to produce a
policy document entitled “Restrictive Practices - Best Practice
Guidelines”. The purpose of this is to provide direction to
National Federation member organisations in the support of individuals with complex issues in line
with national legislation and international best practice.
The group is now up and running and it is chaired by Brian McDonald. It comprises of personnel who
have a significant organisational knowledge/remit/responsibility with regards to
monitoring/prescribing/auditing the use of Restrictive Practices.
A short online survey has been developed and circulated to member organisations and the results of
this will assist the group with this valuable piece of work.
Calls for Consultation
Invitation to National Disability Inclusion Strategy Public Consultations
The Department of Justice and Equality is developing a new Disability Inclusion Strategy to run from 2016 to
2020. Building on the first and second phase of this consultation process – which identified key themes and
objectives for the new Strategy – the Department is now inviting views on a set of suggested actions
under different themes such as education and employment. These actions can be viewed in the attached
consultation document.
To progress the development of these actions and to hear the views of people with disabilities and their
families, we are organising a series of regional consultation meetings to which we would like to invite you
and your members to attend. Places are limited, so if you are planning to attend, please register here:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/HH9PVSW by Friday 16th September.
Venues and dates
Imperial Hotel, Cork Thursday 13th October 10am – 2pm
Croke Park Conference Monday 17th October 10 am – 2pm
Centre, Dublin
Tullamore Court Hotel Tuesday 25th October 10am – 2pm
Tullamore, Co. Offaly
If you are unable to attend but would like to comment on the consultation document, please email
dfkeogh@justice.ie or write to: Mr. David Keogh, Equality Division, Department of Justice and Equality,
Bishop’s Square, Redmond’s Hill, Dublin 2. If you have any queries in relation to the consultation events,
please contact David Keogh at dfkeogh@justice.ie or call (01) 4790279.Training News Managing for the Future: Building your Skills as a Front Line Manager in a Person Centred Environment The National Federation of Voluntary Bodies has developed a comprehensive training programme for Front Line Managers in the intellectual disability sector. Seven successful cycles of the programme have been run to date in the University of Limerick with very positive feedback from programme participants. Key topics covered during the programme include: management and leadership skills, managing performance, employee relations, team development, quality systems and managing change. A further Front Line Managers Training Programme will commence in September 2016 and run over 10-days in the University of Limerick. We are now accepting bookings for the Programme – the closing date for applications is: Wednesday, August 31st 2016. For further information please contact mary.barrett@fedvol.ie Development of Online ‘Safeguarding Vulnerable Persons’ Module In summer 2015 the National Federation, along with the Open Training College and St. Michael’s House, made a successful application to Pobal (Dormant Accounts Fund) for funding towards the development of an online / eLearning Module on the topic of ‘safeguarding vulnerable persons’. The online module will provide information on organisations responsibilities in terms of safeguarding, the HSE National / organisations safeguarding policy and the procedures involved in reporting concerns which may arise. The online module will be approx. 1-1.5 hours in duration and will be targeted at all staff / volunteers working within Federation member organisations. It is envisaged that the online module will complement the more detailed staff awareness training programme (3.5 hours) which has been developed by the HSE National Safeguarding Office. A series of Regional Briefing Sessions will take place to provide information on the online / eLearning Module. The main aim of the briefing sessions will be to provide an overview of the ‘Safeguarding Vulnerable Persons’ online module and to provide a demonstration of same. Following the briefing sessions a number of organisations will be invited to pilot the module over a 6-week period. The final online ‘Safeguarding Vulnerable Persons’ module will then be launched at a national conference on the theme of ‘safeguarding’ which will take place on November 3rd 2016 in the Tullamore Court Hotel.
The sessions will run as follows:
Date Time Venue
Thursday, September 8th 2016 11.00am – 1.00pm Galway:
Clayton Hotel,
Ballybrit, Galway.
Tel: (091) 721 900
Thursday, September 15th 11.00am – 1.00pm Portlaoise:
2016 Heritage Hotel
Jessop Street,
Portlaoise, Co. Laois.
Tel: (057) 867588
Thursday, September 22th 11.00am – 1.00pm Dublin:
2016 Ashling Hotel
Parkgate Street,
Dublin 8.
Tel: (01) 677 2324
The main target groups for the briefing sessions are as follows:
Human Resources Managers / Training Managers
Social Workers / Designated Officers
Persons-in-Charge
CEO’s / Service Managers / Quality Managers
As places at these events will be limited early booking is advised.
For more information please contact: jillian.sexton@fedvol.ie
***********************************************The Open Training College is now accepting
applications for their accredited programmes in
Social Care and Management. Please note the
schedule below which includes the informal
interviews for those wishing to apply to the OTC
courses commencing in Autumn 2016.
BA in Professional Social Care:
Do you have staff members who have previous qualifications that need to be updated to meet the
educational requirements for CORU Social Care registration? You can save them time and money now
by utilising the Advanced Entry route to a Social Care Degree that will ensure their ability to register.
More and more applicants this year are recognising the value of building on previous qualifications in
order to meet the professional education levels now required for CORU registration. Learn about the
Advanced Entry options that may fast track staff to a recognised and valued Social Care qualification
within the new regulatory environment. Call the OTC now on 01-2988544, or email
cmurray@opentrainingcollege.com to discuss all the options.
23/8/16: Deadline for online applications for those seeking advanced entry to Year 2/Honours
25/8/16: Informal Interviews for Advanced Entry candidates held at Goatstown, Dublin 14.
For staff seeking a place in Year 1 of the Professional Social Care degree:
5/9/16: Deadline for online applications for those seeking entry to Year 1.
8/9/16: Informal Interviews for Yr 1 candidates held at Goatstown, Dublin 14.
Certificate in Applied Management (CAM):
For staff such as PICs and PPIMs seeking a practical management qualification:
19/9/16: Deadline for online applications for those seeking places on CAM.
22/9/16: Informal Interviews for CAM candidates held at Goatstown, Dublin 14.
Certificate in Supported Employment (CSE):
For job coaches, employment facilitators seeking practical skills to engage employers:
22/9/16: Deadline for hardcopy applications for those seeking places on CAM.
29/9/16: Course commences - no interviews required for applicants.
Benefits of earning an accredited qualification with the OTC:
It is specific to the disability sector, reflecting the current regulatory and public policy
environment (incl. HIQA and New Directions), the challenges driving the sector, and best
practices.
Social Care graduates are eligible to register as a professional Social Care Worker with CORU.
Applied Management graduates (such as PICs) will earn a recognised management
qualification (HIQA).
Students will be supported throughout each course by a designated tutor with extensive front
line experience. Students can balance work, family and study commitments, from anywhere in Ireland.
It is an applied programme dealing with real world challenges, where the assignments tackle
issues that students are likely to face in the workplace.
The College is operating an online application process this year. Please contact Conor with any queries
relating to the courses or for any
assistance with the online application
process on (01) 2990580 or
cmurray@opentrainingcollege.com
The Open Training College celebrated
the launch of the BA in Professional
Social Care (Disability) course (after
successful revalidation of the former
Social Care degree), in Dublin on May
30th, 2016. Graduates of this BA will
be eligible to register as Social Care
Workers with CORU.
Watch a short video of the event HERE
Ronnie Harrison, OTC Manager of Academic Affairs, states that "revalidation is a very important part
of the quality assurance of all programmes. It is a cyclical review which ensures that programmes are
up-to-date, peer reviewed and approved by QQI. Most of all, the process assures students that the
programme they are taking is current, fit for purpose and reflects best practice in the sector."
The new BA in Professional Social Care (Disability) prepares the learner to meet the required standards
of proficiency for the profession. It is important that Social Care workers who work and live in the 'life
space' of service users understand their role as key professional members of the multidisciplinary
team. What differentiates our social care workers in the professional team is their constant presence
in the lives of the people they support.
"Revalidation was an intense but enjoyable process. It gave us a chance to stand back from our
programmes and explore how we could make them even better. With the disability sector changing so
rapidly, revalidation was a great opportunity for us to make sure we are providing the most relevant,
up-to-date knowledge of best practice to our future social care professionals," explains Dr Tracy
Warner, Course Tutor, Social Care.
Watch the short video of the event HERE. Listen to sector leaders explain the value of the Social Care
qualification. Please contact Conor on 01-2990580 or cmurray@opentrainingcollege.com for more
information on this course and the application process for the Autumn 2016 intake of students.European Disability Forum (EDF) and Oracle e-Accessibility
Scholarship
The EDF and Oracle have launched a scholarship for students with disabilities
studying in the field of Computer Science, Computer Engineering, User Experience,
or related fields enrolled at an EU university for the academic year 2016-2017.
The scholarship consists of €8,000, to be awarded based on a project or research that will be
conducted during the academic year. The Scholarship will be awarded primarily based on a project or
thesis in which the needs of persons with disabilities in terms of accessibility to ICT (e-Accessibility)
are taken into consideration and/or an innovative solution to enhance their access is proposed. The
project must be an integral component of the educational programme undertaken by the student (e.g.
final year assignment or part of their Masters or PhD). The project may either be a proposal or it can
already be underway.
Eligible applicants should:
Be European Union (EU) citizens and resident within the EU.
Be enrolled at a university in the EU for the academic year 2016-2017, including online
universities based in the EU.
Be studying in the field of Computer Science, Computer Engineering, User Experience or related
field.
Maintain a strong academic record.
Have a disability.
If you have any questions, please email: eaccessibility.scholarship@edf-feph.org.
Deadline: 15 September, 2016Member’s News
St. Michael’s House
Nicole Redmond who attends St. Michael’s House services ran her 22nd
Women’s Mini-Marathon in Dublin on Monday, 6th June.
Nicole, who lives in Dundrum and works for Bank of Ireland, Cabinteely, has
attended Work Options, a service of St. Michael’s House, since 1994. Nicole
trained hard and ate well in order to complete her 22nd consecutive 10Km
event.
Nicole says: “I love being able to take part on the day to support St. Michael’s
House. They have encouraged me
over the past 20 years to work
hard and achieve all my goals. This
year was very special for me I turned 40 in June, I have
already achieved 21 mini-marathon medals in total, and I
will celebrate soon 20 years working for Bank of Ireland”.
“Every year I participate in the marathon, the sense of
achievement in crossing the finish line is priceless. It is very
important to train before the marathon. I always start my
training six weeks before the marathon, training every
second day and building up my speed and distance bit by
bit”.
Well done on Nicole’s high achievement.
********************************
Cheeverstown House
My journey to Brussels to the European Parliament supported
by Cheeverstown House.
My name is Joe Feehily. I am a 48-year-old gentleman. I am on my
way to living in my own apartment and am supported by staff
along this journey. I am a DJ, an employee and a volunteer.
I have many interests including wrestling, trips to the cinema,
socialising and music. I also present my own radio show in
Ballyfermot on West Dublin Access Radio.
I travelled to the EU Parliament in Brussels on November 17th
2015:
The agenda concentrated on:
Promoting Independent Living
Person centred planning
Setting up networks of support Supported decision making through the Person Centred Planning (PCP) process
Policy Recommendations
I travelled to the EU Parliament in Brussels on November 17th 2015. The conference was organised by
Inclusion Europe and it concentrated on Article 19 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of
People with Disabilities. The focus of the conference was on supporting people with an intellectual
disability to live independent lives in their communities. I listened to presentations by MEP Mr Richard
Howitt about individuals and the transitions from institutional to community-based care, and
successful community living for people with disabilities was discussed.
Using the person-centred planning process to plan a new life and circle of support for a life of your
choosing was the key area speakers addressed. It was evident to me that participation of all citizens is
a key element to create inclusive societies. Countries represented at the conference included Spain,
Croatia, Holland and the United Kingdom. Self-advocates spoke on promoting independent living and
supported decision making through the person-centred approaches.
The Conference also included the policy input of experts in the field and on good practices collected
by partners in the New Path to Inclusion Network, a project in which Inclusion Europe has been
involved for the past three years. The New Paths to Inclusion Network is a European project bringing
together organisations, service providers, universities and research centres from 13 European
countries and Canada. Their overarching objective is to facilitate the development of inclusive and
person-centred support services for persons with disabilities empowering them to lead self-
determined lives within their communities.
I addressed the parliament and spoke proudly about working towards achieving my goal of living in
my own apartment in 2016.
I made several networks and connections while in Brussels and took a lot of photos. I was extremely
proud of myself and the success of the day at the parliament and look forward to visiting Brussels
again.
Disable Inequality Campaign-
Cheeverstown
Disable Inequality was making equality for
people with disabilities a defining issue in
Election 2016. Joe Feehily was invited by the
DFI (Disability Federation of Ireland) to get
involved and add his voice to be heard.
Disability is the biggest issue of our time. It
does not receive the political leadership,
attention and commitment needed to make
Ireland a truly modern equal republic.
Taking a bus, finding paid employment or going to a show. Everything can be a little more difficult for
a person with a disability. Joe got involved in the video "Does that seem fair to you". Joe's story was
shared on Facebook, Twitter and You tube and received a great reaction. This shows evidence to
political leaders that it is time to end discrimination against people living with a disability.
Dublin GAA and Ballyboden St. Enda’s Footballer Michael Darragh Macauley also got involved in the
campaign and met the men from 3Hillcrest, pictured above, to show his support.Ability West
Watch this Space!! 2016 is an exciting time of year for approximately 40 young people availing of
services of Ability West. For some people they are leaving school and stepping into third level for the
first time and for others they are progressing from their third level experience.
This year Ability West has assigned a dedicated Co-ordinating Team to work with each person to
support them in a seamless transition to their future and indeed to support them to identify what that
future will look like. This can be a very worrying time for both the young person and their family, often
their concerns are in relation to: “What is in store for me?”, “What can I expect?” and “How will I
manage all this change?” By supporting the individual with the transition some of these worries and
concerns, which are very real, can be allayed and possibly avoided altogether.
“Sinéad McHugh and
mam sampling some
options”
Ability West will introduce each person to their individual co-ordinator who will work closely with
them and their family to plan, and move forward together. The Co-ordinating Team consists of people
who work for Ability West and who have expressed great interest and aptitude for person centred
support. The process they are following is what can be termed as “Discovery”. Discovery is a common
sense foundation to person centred or person directed planning. It is a way to find out who the person
is as opposed to what the person cannot do. Therefore, it is a capacity based process seeking to
enhance a person’s competence and confidence through experiential and individualised learning.
For the scientifically minded, Discovery is a qualitative method of research where the process
uncovers the person’s biography in a way that is meaningful and unique to them and their story then
is the foundation of their planning. Traditionally, we have looked for ways to determine how good
people are at doing things, how clever people may be. But in doing that we really only highlight
barriers for the person making it inevitable that there would be exclusion and imposed limitations,
segregation and even worse; lower expectations for the person and of the person.
Stephen Togher and
Oliver Flanagan-
‘Our first transition
selfie’Discovery does not test the person, it acts on the premise that all people want and belong in the fabric
of their community. Furthermore, not only does that person belong there but that they are needed
there and without that person our communities would be at a loss.
What is needed is a statement on what the person can do with the right support; what is important
to the person and how their future planning can be designed. Isn’t that right up “New Directions”
street and in line with National Policy?
The person/co-ordinator partnerships are rolling along in New Directions and we will be keeping you
up to speed in what that looks like.
Frances Murphy
Director of Client Services, Ability West
******************************************
Daughters of Charity
‘TEES Limerick’ and ‘Garryowen Lions’ Celebrate First Festival of
Special Needs Tag Rugby in Garryowen FC.
‘Garryowen Lions’ is made up of over thirty
service users from the Daughters of Charity
Disability Support Services (TEES) in
Limerick. The team has been formed since
2012 in the local Rugby Club Garryowen FC
and all are passionate Club members. On the
same weekend that the Ireland International
Rugby XV defeated The Springbox and the
Irish U20’s defeated the All Blacks,
Garryowen FC in Dooradoyle was the venue
Garryowen Lions with Rugby Legends Fergus Slattery for the first ‘Wooden Spoon International
and David Wallace and in group photo Special Needs Tag Rugby Tournament’ to
take place in the Republic of Ireland.
Garryowen Lions in collaboration with IRFU, Munster Rugby and Garryowen FC pulled out all the stops
to facilitate 400 excited and committed tag rugby players from all over Ireland, England, Scotland and
Wales.
The Tournament kicked off on Saturday 11th June 2016 thanks to a lot of collaboration and team work
from a number of different agencies. The IRFU event management team were on board to manage
the scheduling of matches, provision of excellent referees and general running of the matches which
was managed very professionally. The IRFU are very proactive in promoting special needs Tag Rugby.
Munster Rugby through the Community Development Officer, was on board to assist with the co-
ordination of the volunteers and managing the matches and the event. The local Civil Defence
provided medical support and tentage for the weekend.The tournament was supported by many excited
supporters and to add to the occasion rugby
legends Fergus Slattery and David Wallace also
attended. Fergus Slattery, who has been
inaugurated into the International Rugby Hall of
Fame in recent years is also an ambassador for
‘Wooden Spoon’ in the Republic of Ireland. Fergus,
who was instrumental in introducing Wooden
Spoon Charity, got totally involved in the event and
engaged with players, supporters and families and
posed for many photographs with all that requested it.
It is proposed that next year’s ‘Wooden Spoon Special Needs Tag Rugby Tournament’ will take place
in Witney in the UK.
*********************************************
Western Care Association
Celebrating 50 years of
Western Care
Association
1966 – 2016
The Western Care Association in Mayo is celebrating its 50th anniversary. The organisation was
founded to support people with intellectual disabilities to live full lives as equal citizens. Reporter,
Teresa Mannion from RTE Nationwide went to visit two centres in Ballinrobe and Ballina to see their
work. Bernard O’Regan Chief Executive talks about the wide variety of services provided by Western
Care.
Follow the link below to see the report on Nationwide.
http://www.rte.ie/news/player/nationwide/2016/0713/In the News!
Blue Teapot Theatre Company
@Sanctuary – The Film
“SANCTUARY WINS BEST FIRST IRISH FEATURE AT 28TH GALWAY
FILM FLEADH”-SCANNAIN
http://www.scannain.com/irish/festival/sanctuary-win-fleadh-2016
The closing film at this year’s Galway Film Fleadh was Sanctuary, the screen adaptation of the
acclaimed play from Blue Teapot Theatre Company which explores the issue of sexual and romantic
relationships between people with intellectual disability. This bitter sweet comedy follows the
adventures of Larry and Sophie and their friends who escape from their carer on a group outing to the
cinema. Shot in Galway in December 2015 the film captures the antics of the characters as they take
advantage of their independence, and was shown in the Town Hall Theatre, Galway on Sunday 10th
July.
The original play, scripted by Christian O’Reilly was commissioned for Blue Teapot and first staged at
the 2012 Galway International Arts Festival. The Teapots were then invited to bring Sanctuary to the
Dublin Fringe Festival and the play was nominated for two fringe awards and an Irish Times Theatre
Award. It subsequently featured in the IFTA award winning RTE Documentary Somebody to Love. It
now comes to the big screen featuring the original cast and directed by Len Collin.
Len Collin quotes: 'Sanctuary is a world first in so many ways, its cast, its subject matter, its humour,
will engage and surprise audiences around the world. It challenges preconceptions, and opens our eyes
to the possibilities of a more inclusive society. All of this is rooted in the important work carried out in
an old grocery store on Munster Avenue, Galway for the last twenty years and the vision of the staff,
and volunteers of Blue Teapot Theatre Company that work there."
www.Blueteapot.ie Short clip of the film: https://youtu.be/U-OUx3mcIac‘Amicitia’ reaches the final of the Social Entrepreneur
Ireland Awards
Billy and Patrick Mulvihill, father and son,
set up their company Independent Living
Ireland in 2012. Having worked with elderly
care groups and people with disabilities
over a number of years, Billy and Patrick
saw a real need to create a social business
that supports people in a new way.
Amicitia- (Latin for friendship!) has been
born out of that drive to create a socially
inclusive, shared-value enterprise.
Working closely with EmployAbility in
Galway, the company has recognised that
people with disabilities experience a disproportionate level of unemployment, whilst the current
caregiving infrastructure in Ireland is insufficient to support a growing elderly population. In
addressing this issue, Amicitia provides flexible employment opportunities for people with disabilities
to handle alarm calls from the elderly in the local community, improving security and reducing social
isolation.
Amicitia has been named a finalist in the Social Entrepreneurs Ireland Elevator Programme, which
focuses on early-stage social entrepreneurs to help them refine their solutions and accelerate the
impact of their work. The programme provides €30,000 of funding and support over one year.
Upcoming Events
A Date for your Diary
The National Federation of Voluntary Bodies is hosting a one-day conference on the
theme of ‘Safeguarding Vulnerable Persons’ as follows:
When: Thursday 3rd November, 2016
Location: Tullamore Court Hotel
Time: 10.00am - 4.00 pm (Registration 9.15am)
More information to follow*****************
SAVE THE DATE – Monday 7th November 2016
The Disability Federation of Ireland, in conjunction with Enable Ireland, is announcing the major
launch of the Assistive Technology Position paper on Monday 7th November 11am – 1pm in the
National Concert Hall, Earlsford Terrace Dublin 2.
We are all aware of the important role that Assistive Technology plays in supporting and
empowering people and the potential to offer a cost-effective solution to people with disabilities
and older persons alike. This position paper is calling to increase the commitment to Assistive
Technology provision and development leading to real and lasting change.
Speakers will include Senator John Dolan, and Lord David Putmann, film-maker and digital
champion, via video link from the UK.
Further information to follow in the coming weeks. Please contact
piercerichardson@disability-federation.ie to register your interest in attending the event.Unlocking the Potential of Short Breaks
An International Conference about Short Breaks and
Respite Care
Edinburgh, Scotland, 13th – 15th September 2016
The Committee of the International Short Break
Association (ISBA), Shared Care Scotland is pleased to
confirm that the 10th ISBA conference will be held in
Edinburgh, Scotland between the 13th and 15th
September 2016.
Shared Care Scotland, along with their conference partners in Scotland, is busy
putting together an exciting 3-day programme to showcase some of the best
examples of short breaks policy and practice from around the world. Shortly
they will be inviting countries to come forward to tell us about the
developments they’re working on that they would like to share at this
important event.
Don Williamson, CEO, Shared Care Scotland, President of ISBA:
“It is a huge privilege to be hosting this 10th ISBA conference following on from
the previous events that have taken place across Europe, the Americas and
Australasia. These conferences are the perfect opportunity to come together
to share practice and experience, and to compare our different approaches to
the provision of short breaks and respite care. My experience of ISBA events is
that you always come away completely recharged with fresh inspiration and
new ideas. We can’t wait to welcome people to Scotland.”
Interested? What you need to do now…
Visit the conference website for more information www.isba.me
Note the date in your diaries – 13th to 15th September 2016, Edinburgh
Scotland
Registration for the conference is now open and a steady stream of
places has already been booked. If you haven’t secured your place
don’t leave it too late to take advantage of the early bird rate – register
at: www.isba.mePublications / Websites
The PERSON project is delighted to launch its final report, which provides an
update of the important achievements and ongoing challenges in the field of
legal capacity reform in our partner countries: Albania, Bosnia Herzegovina,
Croatia, Kosovo, Serbia and Turkey.
The report covers the period 2012-2016 and provides an overview of the
main activities of the project in the areas of legislative reform, strategic
litigation, and capacity building. It also reports on the use of the PERSON
Guiding Principles, the ‘Right to Act’ campaign and the international and
local impact the project has had over the last 4 years.
This report will be of interest to anyone working in the area of legal capacity
reform and to those pursuing various reform strategies around the world in
this field. Click here to enter our website and view the report.
Dr. Eilionóir Flynn
Deputy Director, Centre for Disability Law & Policy
Senior Lecturer, School of Law
National University of Ireland GalwaySome Numbers from Benefacts, the Database of Irish Nonprofits:
People are sometimes surprised to hear that today there are 18,504 nonprofits listed in Benefacts,
the Database of Irish Nonprofits, which you can view on benefacts.ie That’s the number of non-
government, non-commercial organisations in Ireland that file regulatory returns with the Companies
Registration Office, the Charities Regulator, Revenue, the Housing Agency and/or the Department of
Education. 4,216 of these are registered charities, according to the data file published by the Charities
Regulator on 10th May 2016. 8,194 are recognised by Revenue as charities for the purpose of relief
from paying tax, according to the data file published by Revenue on 25th May 2016. Benefacts
aggregates data from these and other sources to provide a full picture of civil society entities of all
kinds on benefacts.ie.
Here are some more numbers from the Benefacts database:
108,000+ employees - At least 108,000 people work in 3,425 Irish nonprofits, according to the 2014
audited financial statements of 7,651 nonprofits that are publicly available.
Turnover in excess of €7.1bn - According to their financial statements, 7,651 Irish nonprofits in the
Benefacts database had an aggregate income of more than €7.1bn in 2014.
Government funding of €3.5bn - Just under half of the sector’s funding comes from government. But
the profile of income from government varies greatly from sub-sector to sub-sector. For
example, arts/culture/media nonprofits receive about 31% of their funding from government,
whereas in social services the figure is 60%. And in overseas development aid, Irish nonprofits raised
more money from international sources – €188m (38%) – and from fundraised or other income –
€194m (39%) – than they received from the Irish government in 2014 – €115m (23%).
Sector profile – financial scale - Currently, registered charities comprise about a quarter of the entities
in Benefacts, the Database of Irish Nonprofits. This number will grow as more charities register with
the Charities Regulator.
Based on the financial data available from 2014 for 2,671 of these, it’s clear that:
There are many small charities – 933 with few or no staff, and with a financial turnover of less
than €100,000
There are 1,294 charities whose turnover was between €100,000 and €1m
There are 386 charities whose turnover was between €1m and €10m
There are 58 charities whose turnover was more than €10m
Since it went live in May 2016, Benefacts has had lots of useful feedback from nonprofits listed
on benefacts.ie. Some people want to know more about where the data comes from, and why it’s
occasionally not comprehensive or up to date. Benefacts relies heavily on data provided by nonprofits
to their regulators, mainly the CRO, and the Charities Regulator. We update the Database of Irish
Nonprofits every day. Most of the time, our data matches what’s on the public record, but sometimes
it takes a while for the regulators to register new filings, and this delay is reflected on benefacts.ie.
They are aware of the issue and are cooperating with us to address anomalies wherever we find them.
About Benefacts - Benefacts itself is a nonprofit, funded by government and philanthropy. Inclusion
in the database involves no cost or effort for any nonprofit listed, because Benefacts re-uses
information that is already in the public domain. Benefacts classifies each nonprofit according to its
purpose into one of twelve sub-sectors.
Have a look at benefacts.ie to find out more or contact info@benefacts.ie if you have any suggestions,
comments or concerns.You can also read
