Parents 'distraught' at planned changes to CoAction's  services in West Cork 

Protestors at a March in Bantry organised by the CoAction Parent Alliance to save the Child and Family centre. Picture: Tony McElhinney

A mother who was told her son would “never walk, never talk, never interact with us” has said the family’s joy as he learns to run is mixed with dismay at planned changes to the services which support his development.

Plans to convert CoAction’s €1.3m purpose-built West Cork facility for children with additional needs into an adult residential unit have left families “absolutely distraught” amid claims the move will “affect the services provided for all involved”.

Julia May Uí Chríodáin’s son Tadhg, 4, is among more than 180 children attending Bantry Child and Family Centre, which opened in 2011 following extensive community fundraising. “I don’t think they can make this move without having a loss of services,” she said.

Under the plans, children’s services will be moved to CoAction’s nearby offices which, according to its chief executive Gobnait Ní Chrualaoí “were deemed suitable for the service, subject to some internal modifications”.

The child and family centre would instead accommodate adults currently living at CoAction’s Bayview residential unit in Bantry. Bayview, which houses four people and provides respite for 10 more on a rotational basis, was the subject of recent Hiqa reports and “requires significant refurbishment works that include changes to the interior layout, rewiring, replumbing, roof works and a new water treatment unit”, said Ms Ní Chrualaoí.

Outrage

In a letter, she assured families that “the service to children and families will not be reduced or removed from Bantry and that the adult day service will continue as normal”.

However, families of both child and adult service-users attended CoAction’s AGM, where many expressed outrage at the plans during heated exchanges.

This was followed last Saturday by a protest march through Bantry, attended by political representatives, several of whom raised the issue in the Dáil and Seanad, where Disabilities Minister Anne Rabbitte responded, saying: “I do not agree with the removal of children’s services from their current location.” 

A petition by CoAction Parents Alliance which says they are 'distraught' by the proposal. It has attracted 2,500 signatures.

Ms Uí Chríodáin said the services are vital for her son. “There’s physio, OT, speech and language therapy, clinical nurse, a fully kitted-out gym, assessment rooms, and a playground. We were told when we got Tadhg’s diagnosis that he’d never walk, never talk, never interact with us. Tadhg started walking this year. He’s running, breaking our hearts wrecking the place. He’s not quite talking yet but well able to get his point across and a lot of that is definitely down to all the services he gets locally with CoAction.

“The four adults [at Bayview] need to be moved out — no one is arguing against that — but to upscuttle 180-plus children is not good enough.”

A spokesperson for Anne Rabbitte reiterated to the Irish Examiner that she does not agree with the relocation. “The HSE has been contacted by officials in the Department of Health for a full report on the matter, including an assessment of alternatives and details on the engagement it has had with CoAction Cork on the issue."