The Portobello Institute has welcomed the latest news from the Department of Health regarding its intentions to fulfil promises made in the HSE’s A Vision for Change, a plan seen as the first serious attempt at improving mental health services across the country.
Minister of State for Equality, Disability, and Mental Health John Moloney recently publicly voiced his intentions to prioritise the plan, stating that he wants to see “tangible evidence on the ground which reflects this substantial investment in mental health”. He also promised added financial support in the form of funds generated from the sale of mental health institutions.
“The provision of care and assistance to those with mental health issues or intellectual disabilities should be a priority for the HSE in 2009,” said Liz Gracey, director of special needs and health education at the Portobello Institute. Her views are echoed by Dr Tony Bates, a member of the group which produced A View to Change who suggested in a recent article that 2009 promises to be “a year for everyone to advocate for a positive response to the mental health needs of people in Ireland”.
Aiming to provide “a framework for building and fostering positive mental health across the entire community and for providing accessible, community-based, specialist services for people with mental illness”, A Vision for Change heralded a new dawn for mental health services in Ireland. After slipping out of the public eye over the last 12 months the plan is now firmly back on the public agenda.
Part of the strategy is to build local mental health care teams for every 10,000 people across the country. In an effort to cater for this added need for highly trained special needs assistants and mental health carers Portobello Institute is delivering two new courses, mental health awareness and intellectual disability studies. Both these courses can be taken separately on a part-time basis over six or eight weeks, or consecutively over 14 weeks. Offering FETAC Level 5 component certificates, they are sure to increase the employment prospects of graduates looking to work in the area of mental health or intellectual disability care provision.
Courses in special needs education, mental health awareness, and intellectual disability studies begin in Galway city on Monday April 27. For more information visit www.portobelloinstitute.ie or phone (01 ) 8920000.
