60% funding cut to Louth/Meath Branch of Down Syndrome

The Louth/Meath Branch of Down Syndrome Ireland were left shocked and disappointed after their funding was cut by 60%.

The branch was recently informed by the Health Service Executive that a National Lottery Grant which part funds an Early Intervention Therapy Programme for preschool children has been cut from €25,000 to €10,000 in 2017 - an overall drop of 60%. The Early Intervention Theraphy Programme is a programme for preschool children with Down syndrome in Counties Louth and Meath. There are currently 52 children enrolled on this programme.

The programme consists of early intervention specialists visiting the home of the child with Down Syndrome for one and a half to two hours every fortnight throughout the school year.

The early intervention specialist works with the parents and child within the family structure, providing a wealth of information and knowledge that ultimately seeks to enable the child to reach his or her full potential.

The programme costs approximately €75,000 a year to run. A spokesperson for the group said they were extremely disappointed that funding has been cut so radically after an allocation of €25,000 was made in 2014, 2015 and 2016 towards the cost of this vital programme. They pointed out that the project has absolutely no administration costs as the programme is managed by parents of children with Down Syndrome on a completely voluntary basis. ‘In 2015 the HSE reversed it’s decision to cut this vital grant by 60%, due to the outrage generated by attempting to cut a grant for a programme aimed at enabling some of the most vulnerable people in society – pre-school children with Down syndrome,’ said the spokesperson.

‘On behalf of the 52 children with Down Syndrome who greatly benefit from this vital programme we once again urge the HSE to reverse this savage cut, or unfortunately this progrmme will have to be curtailed.’ Responding to a parliamentary question on the funding cut, Pat Bennett, Chief Officer CHO with the HSE Pat Bennett said: ‘Each year, a significant number of allocations for lottery funding are submitted to the HSE which administers the allocation of the funding.

‘ The applications for funding far outweigh the actual available budget. In this regard, all applications are reviewed and a decision made on the amount of funding which is allocated. Lottery funding is not part of a core funding allocation to agencies and should not be viewed as such.