Coveney turns sod on Cork centre for children with disabilities

Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government Simon Coveney has paid tribute to Enable Ireland for the work they do with children with disabilities as he turned the sod on a new €7.2 million children's centre in Cork for the organisation yesterday.

Mr Coveney noted the role played by Enable Ireland in the lives of people with disabilities in Ireland since its foundation in 1954 as he turned the sod on the facility in Curraheen in Bishopstown, which will replace the existing Lavanagh Centre in Ballintemple.

“This new children’s centre will ensure that future generations of children with disabilities in Cork will get the services they need and deserve in the best possible facilities,” said Mr Coveney as he was joined by Enable Ireland CEO Fionnuala O’Donovan for the ceremony.

Ms O’Donovan said 640 children and young people with disabilities receive vital therapy and support services from Enable Ireland at the Lavanagh Centre. However, the building is no longer fit to accommodate the needs of these children and their families.

“Our children deserve the best. We’ve set ourselves a challenging task to raise €7.2 million. We now ask the people of Cork to join us in making this centre a reality,” said Ms O’Donovan as she formally launched Enable Ireland’s public appeal for funds to develop the new centre.

The centre, located on a seven acre site near the Curaheen Flyover, will offer therapy and support services as well as housing a hydrotherapy pool, therapy rooms and sensory rooms.

The site will also accommodate a children's respite house, where children with disabilities can develop their independence skills. "This centre will be state of the art and amongst the best in Europe, " said Ms O'Donovan.

Enable Ireland, together with the Health Services Executive and its other partner agencies, will continue to provide core therapy and support services such as physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, psychology and social work, she added.

Specialist services such as feeding, assistive technology, spasticity and tone management, seating, an upper limb assessment clinic, Cork/Kerry orthopaedic clinic, hip and spinal surveillance, casting and gait analysis will also be provided from the new centre.