PIETA HOUSE FOUNDER TO HELP SET UP CHARITY
SEN JOAN FREEMAN TO SUPPORT SLIGO GROUP WITH ITS NEW CHARITY
A group of concerned Sligo parents have met with Senator Joan Freeman to discuss the state of mental health services in the region.
The senator who is also the founder of Pieta House has pledged to support them in their bid to set up a charity.
The families from campaigning group ‘Our Voice for their Future’ have welcomed the news.
Spokeswoman Yvonne Rainey says: “We met last Tuesday with Senator Freeman who travelled to Sligo to meet with us personally. As a senator and the founder of Pieta House she has a huge interest in the area of mental health and believes services in the North West region in particular need to be improved.
“It was a fantastic meeting. She has promised to help us in any way that she can. She is going to help us with the setting of the charity ‘Our Voice For Their Future North West.’ ”
Yvonne stresses to have someone with her experience play a part is extremely encouraging. The charity Pieta House - a suicide and self harm crisis centre - provides a range of services to families affected by suicide or self-harming behaviours. There are a number of centres across the country and one is in the pipeline at present for Donegal in the North West.
The Sligo support group ‘Our voice for their Future’ will host a fundraising evening on September 23rd in an effort to raise the necessary cash to apply for charity status. Sinn Fein Councillor Thomas Healy is helping to organise the event which will include a race quiz night and lots of spot prizes.
Yvonne says: “We have yet to confirm a venue but it promises to be a great night of fun for all and we would encourage as many people as possible to come out and support us on the night. This is a drive to get the funds together to register and launch the new charity.”
The state of the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) has always been top of the group’s agenda.
Yvonne says the problems of waiting lists and lack of full time staff are ongoing. The group has decided to launch an online survey on the topic.
“The public survey on the state of CAMHS is available on the website ‘Our Voice for their Future.’ People can fill out these forms with regard to mental health facilities in this region and we will gather all of the results at a later date.”
Parents of children with disabilities who used the Solas respite centre in Sligo have also done some research of their own. Solas has recently been closed as a respite centre in favour of a residential care unit.
As Yvonne explains: “Parents drafted a business plan which they claim highlights how it would be more economical for Solas to be used as a respite centre as oppose to a residential care home.
“They have passed on this extensive professional research on to Sinn Fein TD for Sligo Leitrim Martin Kenny who is going to forward it to the relevant Government bodies.”
Parents who relied on Solas for respite are now being left having to travel as far as Monaghan to access the same type of service.