Aims: Transition individuals living in congregated settings to more socially inclusive community-integrated services within a seven year timeframe.
Method: “Time to Move on from Congregated Settings – A Strategy for Community Inclusion” (2011) sets out national policy for a model of residential support in mainstream community, where people with disabilities are supported to live ordinary lives. Following collaboration between two Government Departments, the National Implementation Framework to support the National Housing Strategy for People with Disability 2011 to 2016 was published in 2012.
Results: 2014 has seen significant progress with the establishment of governance structures and processes necessary to implement the change programme. The Irish Government is prioritising implementation of the Congregated Settings report during 2015.
Conclusion: There is a radical programme of change currently underway in Ireland to support people with disabilities to make choices and have the equivalent choices of other adults about where to live and with whom they live. The Department of Health is working with its many partners in the health sector and has established a coalition of support amongst stakeholders to support implementation of the change programme. The necessary infrastructure is now in place and further progress will be made to move people from institutions to a different model of community living. To ensure that the needs of people transitioning from congregated settings are fully taken into account during the process the model of care for individuals will be based on a person-centred plan.