Adult siblings of people who have autism or an intellectual disability need help to bridge “serious gaps” in the support available, according to a new report.

The mental health services are “not fit for purpose” and need to be “ripped up” in favour of a new approach, a consultant psychiatrist with the HSE told a conference at UCC yesterday.

The Government must move quickly to draft legislation to allow children in foster care to be adopted, senator Averil Power has urged, in line with the Children’s Rights Referendum, which was passed in 2012.

For the majority of people, running a marathon is a daunting prospect, but for Cork resident Michael Haydon, aged 62, one marathon just isn’t enough.

The rising problem of regional homelessness will be the focus of a major one-day conference in Cork today.

Make no mistake about it — the system of Direct Provision is a continuation of Ireland’s institutional abuse in the early 21st century.

Irish law should be changed to allow adopted children direct and unrestricted access to their birth parents, according to Philomena Lee, the Irish woman whose life-long battle to find her son has galvanised a worldwide movement for adoption rights.

Philomena Lee, whose life story inspired the Oscar-nominated film, Philomena, will be one of the main speakers at a two-day adoption conference in UCC on September 4 and 5.

Philomena Lee will be among the speakers at a two-day international conference in UCC next month.

THE singer prances about the stage, twisting his face into a devilish grimace as he belts out the blues standards. He’s part Mick Jagger, part James Brown and all Joe O’Callaghan. It’s a Monday night in the mid-1980s in Cork and Hot Guitars are playing in Sir Henrys.

THERE is a great quote from Niall Tóibín that I recently stumbled across in an old 1980 BBC radio documentary about Cork city and its inhabitants, called As Others See Us.

A two-day conference which will focus on madness as a meaningful human experience is due to get under way at University College Cork tomorrow.

Child protection cases in the district court often end up as a battle between the HSE and the family, according to new research.

Social workers may be unable to meet the recommendations made in various child abuse inquiry reports because of the high number of children assigned to them, claim academics in University College Cork.

Almost 40 UCC academics last night welcomed the decision to withdraw an invitation to British far-right leader Nick Griffin to take part in a university debate on free speech.

The UCC president wanted to discuss how to help gifted students but could have framed his words more wisely, says Education Correspondent Niall Murray

THE president of University College Cork, Dr Michael Murphy, has responded to widespread criticism of his suggestions that some educational supports for disadvantaged and disabled students be diverted to more gifted students.

UCC president Dr Michael Murphy has denounced as “absurd” the notion that he could have described socially disadvantaged, disabled and mature students as “academically weaker”.

MANY psychiatrists are not informing people about the dangers of the long-term use of drugs they are prescribing — or about the medical problems which may develop later in life.

TWO lecturers at UCC have been awarded an exceptional citizen award for their work in highlighting issues around mental health and the establishment of Critical Voices Network Ireland.