John of God group has to curb support

Funding blamed as parent fears controversy may hit donations

A GROUP run by St John of God that provides badly needed support has warned it has had to curb some services because of ‘significant financial restraints’, the Irish Mail on Sunday can reveal.

The group, Step, provides services, including respite, for adults with mild intellectual disabilities.

People stay with the service for a short holiday, giving their carers badly needed time to themselves.

Now one parent who uses St John of God services has spoken of her fears that donations might be affected, hitting the support they need.

Service coordinator for Step in the Dublin region, Audrey Carroll, sent out an email saying that ‘due to significant financial constraints at the moment, we will not be in a position to fund any future trips until further notice’.

She added: ‘Hopefully once the financial situation improves, we will resume the respite holidays.’

The email was sent on Thursday and on Friday the MoS asked St John of God about it, but a spokesman said: ‘The approval process for respite holidays has commenced. Further applications for respite holidays will be considered for approval.’

He did not say what, if anything, had changed since the day before.

One mother – not directly affected by this as her son is 12 and attending day-services – said the revelations of financial restraint was a worry for those depending on St John of God for support.

Aisling McNiff said: ‘Parents are fuming to see their children suffering cutbacks. I really feel for older parents who are looking after adult children. When you are 80, the place which cares for your child is

‘There is a lot of unrest now among parents’

your security blanket. There is a lot of unrest now among parents of St John of God. It is very scary.’

Aisling’s son Jack attends day services at St Raphael’s in Dublin, where cutbacks have affected access to lunch and other issues.

She said her main worry now was that the public might stop donating, as that would compound the problem. She stressed that fundraising, including the annual fair, raised money which went directly to services, not salaries.

Last year, respite care at St Mary’s of Drumcar in Co. Louth, run by St John of God, was suspended also due to financial constraints. And the MoS understands respite was also not available there over Easter this year.

A number of local politicians met St John of God and the HSE to discuss ongoing issues in April. Deputy Fergus Dowd said at the time: ‘The need to prioritise the significant shortfalls in respite was one the main issues highlighted. It is unacceptable that families with loved ones in need of vital services are unable to access them.’