Paul McGrath
Question:208 Mr. McGrath asked the Minister for Health and Children the specific facilities, if any, which are available for adults who have mild mental disability; and the current budget for these facilities. [22889/97]
Written Answers. - Day Care Services.
The main day services available to persons with a mild mental handicap include generic and special vocational training, sheltered work centre (including long-term training schemes), sheltered employment, supported employment and open employment. Where people with a mild mental handicap have special needs, are elderly or have physical and sensory disabilities, they may also avail of other services such as activation or adult day centres, programmes for the elderly, high support day service or intensive day services. Many people with a mild mental handicap do not wish to avail of training or employment services provided by the health services, and instead prefer to avail of the generic training services and mainstream employment opportunities which are available to the public. Increasingly, the provision of training and employment for persons with a mild mental handicap is being seen as a function of the services provided by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment.
Adults with a mild mental handicap do not usually avail of residential services, except where they have special needs, such as physical or sensory disabilities. Where applicable, the type of services available include five day or seven day community group homes and five day or seven day residential centres. A small number of people are in intensive placements, psychiatric hospitals or nursing homes. The Needs and Abilities Report (1990) recommended that adults with a mild mental handicap who have psychiatric conditions should avail of the generic services and consequently persons in this category avail of the same psychiatric services as other members of the public.
Services available to adults with a mild mental handicap cover a wide range of headings, depending on the specific needs of the individual. As such, they are not costed separately. However, revenue funding of £150.245 million overall was allocated directly by my Department in 1997 for services to persons with a mental handicap.