Public consultation on Disability Social Care Services to guide plan for the next 4 years (2022-2025)

HSE Disability Services organises specialist disability support services. These are provided mainly by voluntary disability organisations, but also by the HSE itself, and by a small number of private bodies. Some people get their own budget from the HSE to hire their own support staff.

The services include:

• early intervention
• specialist therapy teams for people with complex needs
• day services and support to participate in the community
• personal assistance
• home support
• respite and short breaks
• supported housing and residential care
• other community services and supports – this includes the advice and support from organisations that help people living with a particular condition like sight or hearing loss

A recent report from the Department of Health, Disability Capacity Review to 2032 - A Review of Social Care Demand and Capacity Requirements to 2032, has estimated how many people will need these different services between now and 2032.

The first Action Plan for Disability Services will cover the next four years, 2022-2025. An outline of what is being considered is available in full and in summary.

To help prepare that plan, we want to hear from you what you think the biggest gaps are, and what you think should be the most important actions taken over the next four years to improve these disability services.

We are using four ways to get people’s views:

• an online consultation meeting on 16 September 2021
• a consultation questionnaire for anyone who is interested
• face to face discussions with people who use or need these services
• the main disability umbrella bodies will gather the views of their members and make a submission on their behalf

Registration for this event is now closed, as we have reached capacity.

The department will be holding an online consultation event on 16 September from 2.30-4.30pm.

We will try and allow as many people as we can to take part, but please note that places are limited.

Priority will be given to:

• people who are living with a disability, and who either use or need specialist disability supports through the HSE’s Disability Services programme
• parents of children who use or need these supports

We will also try and get a balance across different parts of the country.

We are asking organisations to apply for no more than one place to represent their organisation.

The Department of Health is the data controller for the registration process. Any details you give on the registration form will only be used for the purpose of organising the consultation (including by our IT partner), and for reporting anonymously on the mix of people who have attended. After the consultation, any identifying information will be deleted.

If you are not selected to attend the session, you can still make your views known through an online questionnaire form until 12pm October 19th.

Access the main survey here

Survey for those caring for 2 or more people with disabilities

Irish Language version of the Survey

Please return the completed Easy Read Survey to disabilityactionplan@health.gov.ie

The main disability umbrella groups have also been asked to prepare written submissions after consulting their membership. You can make your views known through an organisation you are linked with.

Disability umbrella bodies are invited to make a submission by Friday 1 October on behalf of their members on the priorities they would like to see addressed in disability social care over the period of this first Action Plan, from 2022 to 2025. To ensure that the people preparing the Action Plan, who are working to a tight deadline, will be informed by your submissions, we are asking that submissions are concise, and are received on time.

Some actions will take more time to achieve than others. In some cases, there will need to be preparatory work in the earlier part of the period in order to deliver later. Some actions may take time to scale up, for example if new staff have to be recruited and trained.

As well as setting out what you consider to be the overall priorities over the 2022-25 period, we would also be glad to hear any views you have on how different actions might be timetabled over the four years, and what should be addressed earlier on.

Guidelines for the submissions are:

• each submission is a maximum of 5,000 words
• each submission has a summary at the front setting out clearly what you see as priorities for the 2022-2025 period (maximum 800 words)
• give details of who you represent and your membership
• include details on how you consulted your membership to prepare your submission
• use headings and subheadings

Information received by the department is subject to the Freedom of Information Act 2014, and as such information provided in submissions may be released under that Act. However, any personally identifying information would be redacted prior to release.

Address for submissions

Please email to disabilityactionplan@health.gov.ie

If you have any questions, please contact Niamh Richardson at the above email address.