A new Community Inclusion Hub which will offer Adult Day Services in South Donegal has been established in Donegal Town by the HSE.
The premises will offer a range of services and will act as a permanent base for the School Leavers Programme.
Through discussion with the Occupational Guidance Officers and the Day Services Guidance and Support Development Unit, the need for adult disability day services in South Donegal was identified.
Geographic scoping exercises identified Donegal Town as the most appropriate location for the new service developments.
It was decided after engaging with service providers there, that there was a potential for different providers to work together and develop a shared service or co-locate.
Andrew Gillespie (Program Coordinator), Marie O’Kane (Service User) and Shauna McLaughlin (Community Access Facilitator)
Having engaged with APP Training Services successfully on a number of previous projects, the Community Inclusion Training Services (DCITS) Manager and the management team agreed that a partnership approach with APP would meet the needs of school leavers in the South Donegal area.
APP has now secured a suitable premises which has been developed into a new permanent location for the new school leaver programmes.
The premises is easily accessible to all community resources in Donegal Town centre.
DCTIS and APP will run both their own programmes independently within the building and within the community whenever possible.
Edel Quinn, Head of Service Disability CHO Area 1 (Cavan, Donegal, Leitrim, Monaghan and Sligo) says the centre is a welcome development and will be of great benefit to Adult Disability Services in the South Donegal area.
“Currently DCTIS are supporting seven individuals in Donegal Town and there are a number of new referrals for September 2021. Mapping exercises from Day Services Supports Guidance and Development Unit indicated there will be ongoing demand for the service through new referrals going forward.”
