Madam, - Namhi - the national association for people with an intellectual disability - has called for an independent social services inspectorate since 1999.
At present many thousands of people with disabilities in residential care throughout the country have no protection in terms of any type of inspection. Dr Kathleen Ganter (June 8th) writes of the concern of the Faculty of Intellectual Disabilities of the Irish College of Psychiatrists about the lack of any mental health inspectorate for people with intellectual disability.
We fully support the stance of Dr Ganter and her colleagues who wish to see the remit of the mental health inspectorate extended to this group.
However the issue of inspection must go beyond mental health. We have limited inspection of children's residential homes and of nursing homes for the elderly as well as mental health services as mentioned above. And we have no inspection or monitoring of homes for children or adults with disabilities.
The Health Stategy 2001 gave a commitment to put the Social Services Inspectorate, which inspects residential homes for children, on a statutory basis and extend its remit to both nursing homes for the elderly and to services for people with disabilities. On May 31st, the promised in the Dáil to prepare new legislation for an independent inspectorate for older people in nursing homes and we urge that its remit is extended to include people with disabilities.
A good start would be to change the regulations under the Child Care Act to allow for inspection of homes which cater for children with disabilities - a group more vulnerable to abuse than children without disabilities.
From our work with people with intellectual disability we are aware of the many excellent services available but we are aware also of cases of neglect, bad practice and abuse.
When informed of such cases, we, as a voluntary association, can only bring them to the attention of the appropriate authorities and provide an advocacy service for individuals and their families if they wish to pursue a complaint.
The development of National Standards for Disability Services in 2004 has been welcomed by our members but until these standards are implemented and are subject to an independent inspectorate with powers to enforce its recommendations, we will continue to face scenarios similar to those shown on the recent Prime Time programme. - Yours, etc,
DEIRDRE CARROLL, General Secretary, Namhi, Fitzwilliam Place, Dublin 2.