Welcome to National Federation Newsletter Issue 38 – Spring 2013
Department of Health Publishes National Implementation Framework for Value for Money & Policy Review of Disability Services The Department of Health on 28th February, 2013 published the National Implementation Framework for the Value for Money & Policy Review of the Disability Services Programme. The Framework is identified as one of the key actions in “Future Health� the recently published Strategic Framework for Reform of the Health Service 2012-2015. Its primary objective is to set out concrete actions to restructure service delivery and improve organisational, financial, governance and accountability systems with the aim of providing a more effective and more accountable service. It assigns responsibilities for those actions, and specific timelines for their completion, and describes the project management and monitoring processes which are needed to make sure that the reform of the Disability Services Programme is achieved in a planned, timely and cost effective manner. The development of the Framework is the first phase of the Implementation Planning Process. The second phase, which will result in a more detailed Implementation Plan, will follow the completion of the policy appraisal recommended in the Value for Money Review.
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The Implementation Phases are outlined as followed: 1. Development of National Implementation Framework a) Establishment of Implementation Structures; b) Initiation of Demonstration Projects; c) Evaluation of Demonstration Projects; d) Formal Policy Appraisal, using the evaluation of demonstration projects as inputs. 2. Migration to new model of Services and Supports a) Development of detailed Implementation Plan; b) Commencement of Migration Process. A Steering Group will be established to oversee the Value for Money Implementation Process and will be chaired by the Department of Health. It will have representation from the HSE, the National Consultative Forum and other stakeholders as appropriate. The Value for Money Review specifies a set of priorities which must underpin the Implementation Framework and a number of actions which must be tackled immediately as follows: Strengthen the national disability function and assign responsibility for driving the change management process to a specified individual at senior management level; Initiate demonstration projects to drive migration towards a person centred supports model and to provide evidence of sustainability as a precursor to widen application; Put in place a commissioning and procurement framework; Develop a national resource allocation model; and Establish strategic information requirements.
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Some actions are prioritised because they provide the necessary infrastructure to support other key recommendations, others because they have the potential to result in immediate efficiency savings. Some of the priority recommendations and key actions are in turn dependent on other factors or, while they must be initiated immediately, will have quite a long lead-in time before they are complete. A number of immediate actions were also described in the Value for Money Review: Streamline the Service Level Agreement process to improve information gathering and performance monitoring; Standardise financial reporting; Introduce a unique identifier to support a move to individualised service provision; Examine the Value for Money findings at agency level and put in train an audit of rosters, review of skill mix and a critical examination of the existing cost base followed by targeted efforts to reduce the average cost per place for a range of service types and support needs; Develop a National Implementation Plan, informed by policy appraisal of the person centred supports model. The implementation priorities and immediate actions identified in the Value for Money Review will provide the framework for actions to be progressed over the period 2013-2014. Importantly the Review emphasises that all recommendations must be considered in the light of the national financial position and the funding available to the health sector during the period of the National Recovery Programme 2012-2014 and also in the longer term.
Registration and inspection of services for people with a disability HIQA are continuing preparations for the commencement of the regulation of residential services for adults and children with disabilities. This has included consultation with service providers, finalisation of draft National Standards and the development of the methodology that we will use to monitor compliance with the Regulations and National Standards. In December 2012, HIQA wrote to the providers of residential services for persons with disabilities (children and adults) to verify information in relation to the services they provide. The information returned from service providers was reviewed in January 2013 and HIQA are in consultation with a number of service providers to clarify outstanding queries. It is intended that this process will provide a national database of designated residential centres for adults and children with disabilities. HIQA also completed the consultation on the Draft National Standards for Residential Centres for People with Disabilities. There was a considerable response to the consultation and HIQA has indicated that the various views expressed have been taken into account. A statement of outcomes report on the consultation will be published along with the final Standards. It is envisaged that inspections against these Standards and the relevant Regulations will commence later this year. The Board of HIQA has approved the Standards and these are now 3
with the Minister for Health, Minister of State, Department of Health and Department of Justice, Equality and Defence with responsibility for Disability, Equality, Mental Health and Older People, and the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs for final approval. Once the Standards are approved by the Ministers and the commencement order given, then all residential services must be registered with HIQA in order to operate. This is a substantial undertaking and significant body of work. At this point, HIQA estimates that there are approximately 1200 residential services, catering for over 10,000 people with disabilities. Over the coming months, HIQA will be organising meetings with service providers to enable them to best prepare for the commencement of regulations. Topics will include provider’s responsibilities under the Health Act 2007, registration, regulations, standards and how we will monitor compliance within designated centres for both adults and children with disability. The dates for these will be communicated closer to the time.
The Work of the NFVB Quality & Standards Sub Committee The Quality & Standards Sub Committee has been meeting monthly since the summer of 2012 in order to address a number of significant items that required attention. These have included: a. The HIQA Standards for Residential Services: We have been engaging with HIQA, and working collaboratively with others such as DFI, Inclusion Ireland and the National Economic & Social Council, in relation to the development of the HIQA Standards, and with the Department of Health in relation to the development of the Regulations. As the Standards near completion the focus is shifting from the content of the Standards to how the inspection process will be implemented (see above). The Sub Committee is also considering how it can best support member organisations to prepare for the inspection process. We have met with HIQA and agreed to facilitate regular contact with all providers in the lead up to July 2013. b. New Directions: On foot of the initial work from the National Implementation Committee including a number of NFVB nominees, we are organising a Federation Paper to set out some of the current practice within member organisations that will assist the Federation Members in realising New Directions. It is clear that we have many examples of the recommendations of New Directions being actually implemented and that we can contribute in a very significant way to its rollout, especially as the NFVB Members provide the bulk of day service provision in Ireland. c. Survey of Member Organisations: We have now completed the survey of member organisations in which we asked organisations to identify the current measures they take to assure them of quality, what preparations they have done ahead of the introduction of the HIQA Standards and to seek a feedback on how best the Quality & Standards Sub Committee can assist them. This survey is currently being collated and a report will be developed for consideration by the Quality & Standards Sub Committee. There is a substantial amount of work being undertaken by the Committee, which reflects the work being undertaken in member organisations around Quality & Standards. Attending 4
monthly meetings, along with the work that is required in between meetings in terms of reading and preparation, places quite a significant burden on those who are participating in the Sub Committee but I want to take this opportunity to thank them for all of their hard work over the last number of months. Bernard O’ Regan Executive Director, Western Care Association Chairperson of the NFVB Quality and Standards Sub Committee
Learning from 25 years of change in supporting Families and People with Disabilities” The National Federation organised a seminar entitled “Learning from 25 years of change in supporting Families and People with Disabilities” on Monday 10th December, 2012. The keynote speaker was Margaret Rodgers who has enjoyed working with people with disability and their families in Queensland for over 25 years. Her work has mainly been in family support and in the non-government sector. In recent years she coordinated a project with Mamre Association where circles of support were used as a key strategy to assist adults to move into homes of their own. In 2009, Margaret was engaged by Disability Services Queensland to further the implementation of person centred practice. During this time she became involved in the issue of improving the lives of people. For the past 3 years Margaret has been the director of the Community Resource Unit (CRU) - a small state wide organisation based in Brisbane that exists to challenge ideas and practices which limit the lives of people with disabilities. The event, which was targeted at Families & Staff Supporting Families proved to be an insightful and beneficial day to those who attended and because it was a half day event and was hosted locally it could be offered at free of charge.
Next Steps Project – Dissemination Event 31 January 2013 The disability policy framework in Ireland is unprecedented in terms of its scale and depth. Following on from the announcement of our National Disability Strategy our Government has published the Value for Money and Disability Policy Review and policy reports on the area of Congregated Settings, Adult Day Services, Autism and Progressing Disability Services for Children and Young Adults. This policy
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framework offers exciting opportunities and very real challenges to organisations to achieve a new vision for people with intellectual disability in Ireland. The National Federation of Voluntary Bodies is committed to meeting these challenges head on to achieve this vision and in this regard has developed a number of initiatives, including a very exciting project called Next Steps, whose primary purpose is to develop the capacity of service providers to make the transition to provide more individualised supports in line with the new policy framework. The Next Steps Project works through a community of learning, in which 25 organisations are sharing information about how they are forging new ways of providing supports for people with intellectual disabilities. The participants; including people with disabilities, family members, staff and managers, work together to address challenges and share pathways to solutions. An event was held on 31st January 2013 in Portlaoise to highlight the work that has taken place through the project over the past year in moving forward with real changes in people’s lives and the changes in organisations that have happened to support this. The event provided the opportunity to share that learning with a wider audience; with over 200 delegates attending.
Alison Harnett, Hope Leet Dittmeier, Cate Hartigan, Mary Seymour, Minister Kathleen Lynch, John O’Dea, Brian O’Donnell, Niamh McMonagle, Alan Blythe, Josephine Flaherty, Mary O’Donohoe, LesleyAnn Kavanagh, Martin Dooher, John Collins at the Next Steps Event
The attendees at the event included self advocates, family members, staff working in our member organisations and representatives from over 60 Government Departments and organisations including the Department of Health, the Housing Agency, the HSE, the Department of Social Protection, and parent organisations.
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Christy Lynch and Lisa McNabb
Jean McCarthy, Marguerite Keoghane & Mary Seymour
Commenting at the Next Steps event, Minister Kathleen Lynch stated; “I very much welcome and support the National Federation of Voluntary Body’s initiative in developing the capacity of its member organisations to reconfigure services and supports to people with intellectual disabilities in line with our new policy direction. It is all the more commendable that this important work is being done in this very challenging economic climate.”
Hope Leet Dittmeier (Realizations), Cate Hartigan (HSE) and Minister Kathleen Lynch Speaking at the conference, Cate Hartigan (Assistant National Director of the HSE with responsibility for Disabilities) applauded the work of the organisations of the Next Steps Project in working towards individual supports and said that this was ‘real implementation of policy, coming from the local level up’. Keynote speaker Martin Dooher said that whilst staff made many decisions for him in the group home “now I decide”. Emily Meagher, who has moved from a group home in the community to independent living with two friends said “If I can do it you can do it too”, whilst Mary Seymour said that the most important thing we can do to support people to live more independent lives is to “Stop stopping us!”
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Human Resources Update: Given the nature and scale of the changes that are occurring within the intellectual disability sector there are currently two groups operating within the National Federation addressing the wide range of human resources related issues that are arising for organisations – the Strategic HR Sub-Committee and the Operational Human Resources Group. The Strategic HR Sub-Committee is chaired by Patricia Doherty, CEO, St. Michael’s House, and the Operational HR Group is chaired by Olive Leonard, Human Resources Manager, Muiriosa Foundation. While naturally there is overlap between the work of the groups as their titles suggest their focus is spilt between a strategic and an operational agenda – the Strategic Committee aims to look at the critical overarching staffing, training & development issues facing organisations while the Operational Group addresses the day-to-day concerns facing human resource personnel within member organisations. Key issues which are being addressed by the groups presently include: Value for Money & Policy Review of Disability Services Report – review of the human resource related recommendations relating to service provision. Extension to the existing Public Service Agreement 2010-2014. Representation of Federation interests on the Health Sector National Joint Council / Joint Information & Sharing Forum and other relevant working groups. Implications of the HIQA standards from a human resources perspective. Workforce planning – type of staff & skills required for the future. Both groups meet on a quarterly basis and further information on their work can be obtained by contacting Jillian Sexton, Human Resources Training & Development Co-ordinator, jillian.sexton@fedvol.ie
Learning on line: Back Care & Manual Handling (Refresher) Blended Learning Course Summary of Experience: The Federation of Voluntary Bodies & Open Training College collaborated to design and pilot a blended learning course for staff on Back Care and Manual Handling during 2012. Course designers collaborated with manual handling instructors (including physiotherapists) from three organisations, two of which became pilot sites for the course. The overall objectives for the blended learning course were identified as follows: 1) 2) 3) 4)
To provide a high quality learner experience on refresher manual handling To test the use of blended learning for in-service training in Federation member organisations. To create efficiencies in the freeing up of frontline staff for mandatory training To test a team based approach for refresher manual handling training.
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Two organisations agreed to become pilot sites to trial the blended learning course for the Refresher Back Care and Manual Handling Course and a total of 54 staff took part. The theory section of the course was available as an on line module taken by staff individually on their home or work computer. The practical skills section of the course was taught by a qualified trainer in a session of 2 to 4 hours, depending on the range/ complexity of moving and handling tasks that staff teams had as part of their everyday work.
Key Learning: An in-depth evaluation of the course produced valuable learning:
“I think it’s the way forward….With budget cuts, the cost of mandatory training is huge. I think that it could be used for fire safety. Same thing, theory on the computer and practical with the trainer.” (Staff Member)
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Course design adjustments were identified.
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Both the available technology (dated computers) as well as poor internet coverage in rural areas and the computer skills that were required hampered progress for some;
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For the staff that elected to complete the course during work time, competing demands and noise led to poor elearning experiences.
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In the main staff that enjoyed the online learning section of the course were typically adept IT users who completed the course at home, with minimum distractions.
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The practical skills sessions were all positively rated and the completion of the practical session of the course by full staff teams was very positively rated.
Conclusions: In the freeing up of staff for essential in-service training, there are approximately 50% budget savings to be made for replacement costs by adopting online/ blended learning approaches. Offering refresher manual handing as team based training has better results in the direct transfer of learning into everyday practice. However, employers need to dedicate resources in the form of protected time for its staff training personnel and prompt IT back up to ensure that online learning succeeds. It is only with these resources that learners are fully set up for success. If employers wish to introduce online learning as a strategy for in-service education, they first need to invest in developing the IT skills of their existing workforce. Online learning however, does not come cheap. The course research, design and ongoing reviews require guaranteed financial investment and protected budgets. Investing in high quality course design that is continually improved is essential to positive student experiences. Investment is also needed in upskilling the level of IT skills and knowledge for many staff members before launching online learning. The appropriate IT infrastructure (computer hardware and software) must be in place. Both the protected time of Training Officers and the commitment of Team Leaders as coaches are cornerstones to the success of blended learning. Thanks: The National Federation would like to express its thanks to the following for their commitment to this project: ALISON.COM who provided the platform on which the online module was piloted (ALISON is a global learning college that provides free online resources for basic and essential workplace skills. Through its website they provide high-quality, engaging, interactive multimedia courseware for certification and standards-based learning). 9
Ms. Geraldine Boland, volunteer, & Mr. Raymond Watson, Open Training College, - joint coordinators of the pilot project. Dr. Karen Finnerty, Open Training College, who as a partner organisation provided expertise on a pro bono basis.
Training Events / Information – Spring / Summer 2013 Support Contact Persons – Networking / Refresher Day Date
Time
Venue
Wednesday,
9.30am – 4.30pm
Training Room Dublin Rape Crisis Centre 70 Lower Leeson Street, Dublin 2.
March 27th 2013
Over the past number of years the National Federation of Voluntary Bodies has run a series of training programmes for those who have been appointed as Support Contact Persons (SCPs) within their organisations. The Federation is now organizing a 1-day networking / refresher event for SCPs who completed the training. The main aim of the event is to provide a networking opportunity for Support Contact Persons whereby they can share their experiences of their role and the issues that have arisen for them and build on their existing skills. This programme is specifically targeted at: (i) (ii)
Those who have been appointed as Support Contact Persons within their organisations and who have been in this role for some time. Those who have completed the basic 2-day training programme for Support Contact Persons run by the National Federation of Voluntary Bodies.
The programme fee is €100 and booking forms should be returned by Friday, March 8th 2013 to jillian.sexton@fedvol.ie
Clamping & Lifting Course: Irish Wheelchair Association Date Monday, th
March 25 2013
Time
Venue
10.30am – 2.30pm
Irish Wheelchair Association, Unit 10a Merlin Park, (Grounds of Merlin Park Hospital), Galway City. 10
The Irish Wheelchair Association is running a 4-hour clamping and lift equipment course which will focus on: • different types of wheelchair restraints and passenger restraints; • what weight they can and cannot hold, • colour coding and weight restrictions, • How restraints work? The programme also looks at the use of lifts, in board and out board, how to use seat lockables, how to load and unload wheelchair users, health and safety on buses and PPE to be used. Participants will have to demonstrate that they know how to use the equipment. On completion of the programme participants will be provided with certification which will be valid for a period of two years. The programme fee is €50 and the closing date for booking places is Friday, March 8th 2013.
The course is being run by Mr. Barry Reid, C L E Instructor, Irish Wheelchair Association and further information is available from Jillian Sexton, Human Resources Training & Development Co-ordinator (091) 792316 / jillian.sexton@fedvol.ie
Risk Assessment & Therapeutic follow through for People with an Intellectual Disability living in a Community Setting who engage in sexually harmful behaviours (April 2013 – January 2014)
This training programme is designed to support concurrent assessment and therapeutic follow through for people with an intellectual disability living in community setting who engage in sexually harmful behaviours. The programme will run over a 6–day period from April 2013 – January 2014 in Stewarts Care, Palmerstown, Dublin 20: The initial two days training (April 18th & 19th 2013) will focus on: Assessment for Treatment (which will include assessments particular to intellectual disability settings e.g. ARMIDILO). This will be followed up by a further 2 days training (August 28th & 29th 2013) on: Planning Therapeutic Interventions. Following a period to allow participants to carry out treatment work, the final two day session (January 29th & 30th 2014) will focus on: Individual & Group Treatment Issues. This will focus on issues arising in the therapeutic process and possible evaluation of these individual and group issues. The programme will be delivered by Professor William Lindsay, PhD, FBPS, FIASSID, who is Consultant Forensic Clinical Psychologist, Clinical Director for Scotland and Head of Research for Castlebeck Care. It is targeted at a range of professionals including: Psychologists, Psychiatrists, Nurses, Social Workers, Behaviour Therapists & other relevant professionals working with people with an intellectual disability. The programme fee is €950 and the closing date is Friday, March 22nd 2013. Full details in relation to the programme may be obtained by contacting Jillian Sexton – jillian.sexton@fedvol.ie 11
Now qualified to assist those most in need of support! The recent Open Training College graduation ceremony was a celebration on many levels. Not only do the graduates now possess an accredited and hard earned BA in Applied Social Studies for the disability sector, they also possess vital best practice skills to empower the service users in their care. It’s all about supporting those most in need of support in our society. This year’s 128 adult learner graduates are special indeed. Not only have most of them managed the responsibilities of a full-time job during their studies with the Open Training College, most have raised a family too. Quite a full plate for any Third Level learner. Many of the graduates would speak about challenging nights where the needs of the College were finely balanced with the needs of their family. Meeting assignment deadlines is an art for these graduates who acknowledge the support of family as being crucial to their success. But the commitment doesn’t stop there. Now they are qualified to a level that embodies best practice for the disability sector, which means that disability agencies and service users are now in the best hands possible. Even with the savage cuts to services and training budgets, these graduates recognise the value of their degree and most have made financial sacrifices in order to fund it themselves. Conor Murray of the Open Training College commented ‘In the past, the majority of our students were funded through their employers’ training budgets. However, due to the massive cuts to the sector in recent years, agencies are no longer able to afford the college fees and employees are stepping up to pay the fees themselves. The commitment from the students is truly second to none.’ A great day for the graduates and a great day for disability services in Ireland. For more information, contact Conor Murray (01) 2988544 or cmurray@opentrainingcollege.com The Open Training College is a division of St. Michael’s House established in 1992 in response to a need to provide professional education and training programmes to staff working in services for people with a disability. The College has been steadily growing its courses and reputation since that time and now is a highly respected, well established academic institute of excellence in its field. Recently, it has moved to providing management programmes to degree level to the wider non-profit sector – a move that was informed by extensive consultation with stakeholders from these sectors.
Pictured: graduates of the Honours BA in Applied Social Studies (Disability) from left to right, Margaret McConalogue, Francis Harrington and Louise Healy. 12
With regard to the courses for the disability sector, to date the OTC has worked with students from almost all disability agencies nationally covering the intellectual, physical, sensory and mental health areas. A testament to its success is that agencies all over the country consistently support staff to study with the Open Training College. Equally important is that College graduates have gone on to become leaders in the field and consistently make a contribution to the development of high quality, person centred services. The Open Training College believe in the inclusion of all people in society. The principles of supporting empowerment, honouring rights and working in partnership apply to all aspects of College work.
COPE Foundation is delighted to announce that it will again host the Irish Performing Arts Festival in June 2013 The Festival will take place in Cork during the final week of June June 25th – June 28th 2013 Exact dates and times will be finalised following the receipt of all applications Dance, Drama, Song and Instrumental and Street Performances Rehearsals will take place on Wednesday 26th June Competitions will take place on Thursday 27th June Awards ceremony dinner will take place on Thursday 27th June @ Silver Springs Moran Hotel You will find attached entry forms for performers who wish to participate in this year’s National Song, Drama, Dance & Instrumental competitions & Street Performances A generic questionnaire and list of performers document and insurance form is also enclosed that must be completed and returned with any or all applications
PLEASE RETURN THE COMPLETED QUESTIONNAIRES via email to; calnant@cope-foundation.ie Please post Script(s) with projected images on disc and backing tracks etc. & ENTRY FEE of €50 per ACT TO: Therese Calnan Irish Performing Arts Festival QDS COPE Foundation Vicars Road Cork Tel: 021 – 464 3433 / Email: calnant@cope-foundation.ie as soon as possible and no later than Friday, 19 April 20133312222 I look forward to hearing from you, Eoin Nash, Festival Director
Keep up to date on: www.irishperformingarts.ie 13
Family Leadership Adventure Break A Good Life for Everyone in the Family The Cavan Centre, Ballyjamesduff, Co. Cavan 5th to 7th April 2013 Do you want to think about and experience a different way of supporting your family member with additional needs? Do you want to make some time to think about you and your family's future? Do you want to have a fun weekend with the whole family? Leap are offering family leadership weekends for the whole family to come together in an inclusive, fun environment to begin to develop and share a vision of a good life for their son or daughter with a disability and for themselves. These weekends are about friendship, fun, finding support and family leadership. The aim of the weekend is to have fun with all the members of the family and try out some new activities, ideas and experiences. The weekend will also be about finding inspiration in what families are doing together when living with disability and sharing practical insights in how to support family members live a fuller, better life. Parents and adult siblings take part in workshops that invite them to think about the future and to think about what good support looks like for their family member while other children and teenagers are busy taking part in a range of accessible workshops with our dedicated team of leaders and volunteers. As well as access to the facility each family will have the support of a volunteer 'Family Pal' for the Weekend matched to the family based on your interests, hobbies, age and life experience. The weekend is also supported by activity leaders with experience of working with people with disability to support families to get the most out of the activities the Cavan Centre has to offer. Previous family participant when asked "what I would tell a family about the weekend‌" "Not to be afraid to come because you will be changed after it. It was very empowering and has opened my eyes and mind for the future, so, so valuable". "This is probably the most rewarding, challenging, fun, shared, supportive weekend I and us as a family have shared ever! It allowed us (5 of us) to be a united family doing stuff together. Thank you". For more information about Leap visit www.leapireland.com for more information about the Cavan Centre visit www.cavancentre.ie The weekend costs ₏40 per person (all inclusive) so for a family of four the weekend costs ₏160. The weekend is suitable for families with children from 3 -18 years. For more information please contact Claire at leapireland@gmail.com or 086 1931227
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Invitation to Participate in a Research Study Exploring Adaptation and Resiliency in Families of Individuals with Down Syndrome You are invited to take part in a research project that is being conducted with parents of individuals with Down syndrome. The purpose of the study is to learn about factors that influence how families respond following the birth of a child with Down syndrome. This study is part of a larger cross-cultural study which will eventually include families of individuals with Down syndrome from at least 8 different countries (Brazil, Japan, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Thailand and the United States). Who can participate? If you are the parent of a child with Down syndrome, you are invited to participate. If you have a spouse or partner, he or she is also eligible to participate. What will we ask you to do? We will ask you to complete a series of questionnaires (this should take approximately 20-30 minutes) and if you would like, we will interview you. Generally the interview will be a telephone interview.. The interview will take approximately 60-90 minutes. After you complete the survey we may contact you a second time if we need to clarify any information with you. The project has been approved the Cork Research Ethics Committee and by the institutional review board for human subjects research at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. If you agree to take part, all information you give will be confidential. No one except our research team will have access to your information. If you wish to be involved in this research, please email Dr. Marcia Van Riper at vanriper@email.unc.edu or email Ms.Maria Caples at m.caples@ucc.ie or telephone her at (021) 4901515 . You also have the option of using one of the links below to access the survey directly (there is one link for mothers and one link for fathers – the surveys are exactly the same but if two people use the same computer to complete the survey, they need to use different links). If you would rather complete a paper copy of the survey we will send this to you, as well as a pre-addressed, pre-stamped return envelope. If you agree to be interviewed, we will arrange to do the interview at a time that is convenient for you. Link for mothers: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/DDZYHP6 Link for fathers: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/DY87C55 Many thanks for your kind consideration, Marcia, Maria, Eileen, and other members of the research team Dr. Marcia Van Riper, Professor and Chair, Family Health Division President International Family Nursing Association University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Fulbright Scholar Ireland 2012-2013. Dr. Eileen Savage, Professor, Acting Head of School, University College Cork School of Nursing and Midwifery 15
OPENING DOORS: MY LIFE, MY HOME – Meeting the Housing Needs of People with Disability Date: 18th – 19th April, 2013 Venue: Rochestown Park Hotel, Cork Conference Aims: This Conference aims to build on the collaborative partnership that currently exists at local and national level by bringing together key figures to plot a course from policy and ideology to practice and implementation. This Conference will provide real and meaningful opportunities to engage and interact with senior officials, specialists, practitioners, decision makers and people with disability themselves, so as to give full effect to the desire to provide real community housing opportunities to people with a disability. Who Should Attend: We encourage a broad attendance and participation from people with disability and their families, from members of local authorities, Local Authority housing staff, City and County Managers, disability service providers, the voluntary housing sector and all with an interest in the housing needs of people with disability. Registration Details: To register for the conference please contact Ger Kelleher on 021-4924094 or email ger_kelleher@corkcity.ie Conference fee: ₏75
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