Minister of State for Disabilities, Finian McGrath T.D., invites people to submit an Expression of Interest if they would like the opportunity to participate, on a voluntary basis, in the Advisory & Consultative Group which will form part of the Task Force on Personalised Budgets.
Ms. Siobhan Barron, Chief Executive Officer, National Disability Authority, will chair the Advisory & Consultative Group.
The remit of the Task Force, including the Advisory & Consultative Group, will be to make recommendations on a personalised budgets model which will give people with disabilities more control in accessing health-funded personal social services, giving them greater independence and choice in accessing services which best meet their individual needs.
The Minister said “The establishment of a Task Force on Personalised Budgets is key to progressing the Government’s aim of providing services and supports for people with disabilities which will empower them to live independent lives, provide them with greater independence in accessing the services they choose, and enhance their ability to tailor the supports required to meet their needs and plan their lives.
In my opinion, the Advisory & Consultative Group will be pivotal to the work of the Task Force by giving a voice to those with lived experience of disability, and I am determined that people with a disability will be at the front and centre of its work” said the Minister.
“I want the process to be as inclusive as possible, so I am inviting anyone with a lived experience of disability, either as a directly affected person, or as a family member or carer (paid or unpaid), to make contact with the Task Force giving a few details about themselves and a short explanation of what they would bring to the Advisory & Consultative Group.”
The Minister is anxious to assure those who do not participate directly in the Advisory & Consultative Group that they will have other opportunities to give their opinions on personalised budgets, including through regional consultation sessions, in the coming months.
The Minister asks that Expressions of Interest would be sent in writing either
By Post: Task Force on Personalised Budgets, Room 316, Hawkins House, Dublin 2, D02 VW90 or
By email: budgets_taskforce@health.gov.ie
Closing date: 26th August.
Further details about the Task Force