Care service for disabled children axed without warning

A CARE service for children with intellectual disabilities has been axed without warning after the Health Service Executive cut funding by €4 million.

Ard Cuan House on Dublin’s North Circular Road provided respite for 80 families, among them elderly parents with middle-aged offspring in need of professional care. It is run by the Daughters of Charity, whose service for those with intellectual disabilities has been in operation in Ireland for over 100 years.

Angie Kenny, whose 14-year-old son, Conor, has been attending Ard Cuan once a week for the past year, last night spoke of her shock at the closure.

“We have been told the respite service is going to finish on the 30th of this month. We only got the letter on Thursday that this was to happen because they had to make drastic cuts in services.

“That means we have only two weeks to make alternative arrangements. In fact, a lot of parents won’t even know because they are with their children at the Special Olympics in Limerick. This is absolutely awful.”

Ms Kenny, from Finglas, Co Dublin, said she also understood that summer camps enjoyed by the children, including Conor, who has Down Syndrome, were also being cancelled.

“This is going to hurt the children as well as the families, because they love it there. A lot of carers rely on the service to allow them take a break in the summer. This means any holiday plans will now go pear shaped.”

However, she said she and a number of other carers were not prepared to give up without a fight. “We have a meeting with the Daughters of Charity next Thursday .

“Surely there must be a better way of doing things. This is going to hurt families very badly,” said Ms Kenny whose husband, Paul, is out of work due to a physical disability.

“This is a very essential service. I am the sole carer at the moment and Ard Cuan is very important for us.”