Centre’s funding slashed after rights report rap

A CENTRE for the intellectually disabled, which was criticised in a human rights report, has seen its funding slashed by €1.8 million.

The Irish Human Rights Commission (IHRC) report, found that there were “serious gaps” in the provision of services to residents of the Brothers of Charity’s John Paul Centre in Galway and those using the centre.

The report, which stressed that the centre should be supported, not castigated, found that the deficiencies at the centre were as a result of systematic problems with legislation at national level, some of which is not being properly administered.

Acting chief executive of the Brothers of Charity, Anne Geraghty, yesterday warned that services cannot improve if its budget allocation continues to be cut.

She said its 2010 budget had been reduced by €1m, in addition to an €800,000 “moratorium cut” in which vacant staff positions could not be filled.

“It is virtually impossible to get any additional resources to improve existing services,” Ms Geraghty said.

Anne Kennelly, the HSE’s assistant national director for people with intellectual disabilities, said two new reviews that would boost service provision were almost complete, one for day services for adults, the other for residential/congregated settings, both involving more than 4,000 people.

The IHRC report makes 41 recommendations, led by a call for a person-centred needs assessment for people with disabilities.

The Parents Group, representing the families of those at the centre, praised frontline staff but said the centre had not addressed the complex individual needs of their adult children.