1. The Office for Disability & Mental Health Bairbre Nic Aongusa, Director Presentation to IASE Conference, 9 October 2009

2. Key priorities Integrated health & education support services for children with special needs; Training & employment support services for people with a disability; Greater co-operation between mental health & justice systems; Driving implementation of Vision for Change.

3. Why? Many of the factors which promote recovery are outside the formal health system – family, community, education, employment, housing, income support Not acceptable that person with disability has to navigate all the services More coherent and integrated approach needed from the State

4. Context Vision for Change Reach Out: Action Plan for Suicide Prevention Disability Act, 2005 – commenced in June 2007 for under-5s Towards 2016 commitments NESF “Mental Health & Social Inclusion” (October 2007)

5. Office for Disability & Mental Health (ODMH) Support the Minister of State in exercising his statutory functions across four Departments – Health & Children Education & Science Enterprise, Trade & Employment Justice, Equality & Law Reform

6. Our Approach Modeled on Office of the Minister for Children, but not identical Person with the disability at the centre of policy and service delivery Holistic view of clients’ and service users’ needs Actively involved in their own care

7. Director Formerly Deputy Director at OMC Cross-cutting, cross-sectoral experience Member of Senior Officials Group on Social Inclusion Regular meetings with Minister and Secretaries General of 4 Departments to review progress

8. Our four key priorities Integrated health & education support services for children with special needs; Training & employment support services for people with a disability; Greater co-operation between mental health & justice systems; Driving implementation of Vision for Change.

9. Health & Education services Disability Act commenced for under-5s Right to Independent Assessment of Need and Service Statement Education for Persons with Special Needs Act, 2004 (EPSEN) Role of Child & Adolescent Mental Health Services in all of the above

10. Training & Employment Work is key to recovery NESF report – supported employment is best approach Linking vocational support to CMHTs HSE Review of Adult Day Services Bridging programmes to employment – with ET&E and FAS

11. Mental Health & Justice Impact of Criminal Law (Insanity) Act, 2006 Links between Garda and local CMHTs Interaction with courts system Development of new Central Mental Hospital and regional ICRUs Services for children - IYJS

12. Vision for Change More to it than additional resources “What can be done with what we have?” Changing ways of working Changing mindsets! HSE Implementation Plan New Clinical Directors and “super catchment areas” Hospital closure plan

13. Not just mh services… 20% of Vision for Change involves recommendations for other Depts/agencies ODMH’s cross-sectoral role – e.g. housing, income support, training & employment Office for Suicide Prevention Focus in 2009 on young people

14. Our Vision “That every person with a disability (including people with mental health difficulties) would be supported to enable them, as far as possible, to lead full and independent lives, to participate in work and in society and to maximise their potential” Towards 2016, section 33, page 66