Advocate welcomes reopening of 10 respite beds in Cork and Kerry

A CORK advocate has welcomed news that 10 respite beds for children are to be reopened in the Cork and Kerry area. Disabilities Minister Anne Rabbitte announced the additional capacity last week.

The announcement follows an apology last week from HSE chief executive Bernard Gloster for “inconsistency” in respite care services available for children with disabilities in Co Cork, saying he understood the huge frustration and upset this was causing to the families involved.

In particular, the situation facing the 48 children attending Carrigaline Community Special School and their families has been highlighted in media and in Leinster House over the past weeks.

Since the school opened in September 2021, those children have not been able to access overnight respite services and they have been unable to get on any waiting list.

Rebecca O’Riordan of Fuss (Families Unite for Services and Support) said the group welcomed Anne Rabbitte’s commitment to working towards resolving the respite crisis in Cork.

“We will be following closely to ensure that these beds are delivered but the fact remains that this is the tip of the iceberg of need in this area,” Ms O’Riordan said.

“No progress will be made by government while the truth of the depth of the situation in Cork is being deliberately and repeatedly concealed.

“Staff are haemorrhaging from the sector because they are consistently being expected to manage dangerously high case loads,” she said.

“Families are continually getting into very serious crisis from the complete lack of intervention and support.

“We continue to see endless firefighting but not a single smoke alarm, early intervention does not exist, in fact there is now no skill deemed too necessary for a child to lose,” Ms O’Riordan said.

“Children diagnosed with disabilities in this country are worse off than they were 20 years ago and while the reopening of these 10 beds is welcomed, it again raises a concern around governance.

“We will continue to engage with the minister and all relevant representatives on respite, equipment, therapies, and most importantly governance, but the fact remains that until there is transparency on all sides that will remain a challenge,” she said.

Ms Rabbitte made the announcement following a meeting she had with Cork Education and Training Board (ETB) and lead agencies in Cork.

“It is amazing, and I am so delighted to say, additional capacity has been found within Enable Ireland, St Joseph’s, and within Cope, and all are working together now to ensure that that capacity can be brought online, for children’s services we are talking about, to ensure that children’s services can be responded to in a more timely fashion in CHO4 [the Cork and Kerry HSE area],” Ms Rabbitte said.

The minister added that children attending the Carrigaline Special School, who had previously been unable to access respite services, would now have access “in weeks, not months”.