Co-operation Fingal Community Partnership for North Fingal established the Disability Project in 2005 as a result of funding secured through the Dormant Accounts Fund. This allowed for the recruitment of a full-time Co-ordinator and a part-time Advocacy Worker for the period from March 2005-December 2006, with the Advocacy role extended to December 2007. This extension was made possible through close monitoring of expenditure and allocated budget and an additional allocation through the Health Service Executive.

This project was established in order to respond to the needs identified through Co-operation Fingal for significant support on the part of three voluntary groups, namely; Remember Us, F.A.D.E and North Fingal ADD/ADHD Parent and Adult Support Group. Through the establishment of this project and recruitment of staff, local groups were able to access support to respond to the needs of service users. This support took the form of facilitation with training courses for young people with disabilities plus a range of seminars, workshops and practical day-to-day support to individuals and groups in responding to their needs, including advocacy support.

This Project was overseen by a very active Steering Committee, comprising representatives from the three local disability groups, Co-operation Fingal, Citizens Information Board, Health Services Executive (Disability Services Manager and Director of Mental Health Services), Mater Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services and community representation.

An Evaluation Report on the Project has recently been completed and highlights the key outcomes from the Project as well as learning and recommendations for the ongoing delivery of community-based supports for people with disabilities. The report can be downloaded below in PDF format (right click on the link and choose Save Target As ):

Dormant Accounts Disability Final Report - October 2007

This report was launched by Mr Trevor Sargent, Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food on Friday 19 th October 2007. Dr. Nollaig Byrne from the Mater Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service in Swords provided a very informative presentation and all participating groups were thanked for their commitment and involvement in the project.

For more information on the Disability Project, contact Sarah McNally on 01 802 0484, or by email on smcnally@co-operationfingal.ie

Download Adobe Acrobat Reader