Homelessness in Galway - more prevalent than ever

EMERGENCY accommodation was required for 330 households in Galway last year. There are currently 4,700 people on the housing waiting list in the county.

In 2012, 230 households approached housing charity Threshold due to a risk of homelessness.

“You could walk the length of Shop Street today and cross paths with people who are homeless and not know . . . it’s only obvious in exceptional cases," states Martin O'Connor, Assistant CEO of COPE Galway. 

Homelessness in Galway - or indeed Ireland - is nothing new, but the recession has led to an increase in the number of those at risk.

"In Galway at any one time there could be 150 to 180 people classed as homeless. This includes people in homeless services. 

"However, the amount of people who are ‘sofa hopping’ while technically homeless is often hard to estimate," says Bill Griffin, CEO of the Galway Simon Community.

"The number of women and young people is rising against the traditional population of the street homeless male,” Mr Griffin states.

Autumn 2010 – spring 2011 saw a “near explosion of young people [under 25 years of age] coming to COPE,” says Mr O’Connor. In the last quarter of 2010, 19 youths – 14 women and 5 men - contacted the organisation looking for help. 

During the same time frame in previous years, this number was as low as three or four. This figure has since stabilised, but Mr O'Connor describes the number of young women contacting COPE in those three months as “phenomenal”. 

“The age profile of people who are homeless is dropping. The number of children contacting us is increasing.”

He maintains that a large percentage of these young people fall through the cracks of the HSE care system due to a "lack of engagement" once they 'become adults' at the age of 18. 

This assertion is shared by Mr Griffin. 

"Some young people who have been in the child care system do not have adequate provision available when they reach 18 years of age. This is symptomatic of the reducing resources available to the HSE and Local Authorities to plan for and provide such provision," he says.

Inadequate services are not the only reasons young people end up homeless. Mr Griffin cites substance abuse and addiction as another mitigating factor, saying the effects of this can cause "a severe reversal of people’s lives; through loss of work, educational placements and exclusion from the family home".

Mr O'Connor feels the reduction in secondary benefits such as rent supplements and the unemployment benefit rate for people under the age of 25 was a “blunt instrument” used by the Government to make savings. 

He insists this method is "not working at a micro level", and has exacerbated the problems that already surround affordability of housing in Galway and other urban areas. 

Family breakdown and physical, sexual or emotional abuse also often play a role in people losing their homes.

Female homelessness is often the end result of abuse, according to Mr Griffin. He says many women are either thrown out of the family home or leave, frequently with children, for safety reasons. 

"However, they often return . . . and the cycle starts again," he laments. On a positive note, he believes that women are "increasingly highlighting their needs, as opposed to suffering in silence".

In 2012, 99 households, including 110 children, were housed in COPE's domestic violence refuge. Mr O'Connor notes that there has been a drop in the capacity to accommodate, not in demand for this service, in recent times. One particular migrant family was housed there for 10 months. 

Mr Griffin feels that many immigrants end up becoming homeless due, at least in part, to their lack of understanding of the red tape that surrounds Irish employment and social welfare.

"They are often at the extreme end of need before they become known to homeless services as they tend to seek support from within their own communities in the first place. 

"A more proactive approach to working with immigrants and their communities might enable earlier and more effective intervention," he advises. 

"Sleeping rough is a more attractive prospect in the west of Ireland than eastern Europe," says Mr O'Connor. 

He recalls the wave of “economic migrants” that arrived in Galway a few years ago and maintains that, despite their struggles here, many have no desire to go home. 

He feels some migrants never fully engaged with Irish society, instead settling for casual employment and living arrangements. As a result of this, they are “hanging on by their fingernails”.

He notes that “a very proactive approach is taken in Galway” to help migrants with housing issues but admits that “it takes an awful lot longer to come to a resolution regarding accommodation” due to status issues. 

Ireland was one of a number of EU states that recorded an increase in homelessness among young people, immigrants and women from 2007 - 2012, according to Feantsa (the European Federation of National Organisations Working with the Homeless).

The economic downturn has put many people at risk of homelessness who would never have faced that prospect before.

"The implementation of austerity measures has seen the emergence of a new demand centred on financial hardship. This group has little or no knowledge of how to access help and the possibility of being homeless had never been part of their lives previously. 

"Early identification of the problem is often prevented by people’s reticence to admit they have a problem and seek support," states Mr Griffin.

Many people are “keeping themselves afloat and no more than that . . . they are treading water,” reiterates Mr O'Connor.

COPE Galway's Family Support Service helps approximately 33 families a month, with 26 families currently availing of their emergency accommodation facility. This figure has more than doubled since 2011, when it stood at 11.

Re-integration into society

For those fortunate enough to be given a second chance following homelessness, re-integrating into society is not straightforward.

"The journey out of homelessness is a difficult one in relation to a number of factors," says Mr Griffin. 

In order for this process to work, the elements of a person's life that went missing and led to their homelessness - be it employment, family or financial security - must be restored.

Both Galway Simon and COPE Galway provide transitional services to aid homeless people in the rebuilding of their lives. 

“The shorter somebody is homeless the better,” says Mr O'Connor.

The ever-prevalent stigma associated with being homeless also causes a lot of difficulty for people.

Landlords are often reluctant to take a chance on homeless people - a stance that Mr O'Connor sees as somewhat fair; "You have to see it from their perspective too."

Mr Griffin states that those who end up homeless due to alcohol or drug addiction often have their progress derailed by a relapse. He says the same is true for those suffering from mental health issues - some 65pc of homeless people in Ireland have such a diagnosis.

The Government recently released a Housing Policy Statement which aims to eliminate long-term homelessness in Ireland by 2016. The previous target was 2013. 

"The number of homeless people relative to other groups is small. While agencies such as ours interface at national and regional level in terms of campaigning, it is easy for this group to slip off the priority agenda," states Mr Griffin. 

Both Galway Simon and COPE Galway receive State assistance in terms of funding, but they are also heavily dependent on public donations. The former receives a quarter of its running costs through fundraising and its two charity shops in the city. 

"With statutory funding going down, our reliance on self-generated funds is going up. The State could help by just keeping funding at current levels for a couple of years," maintains Mr Griffin.

“People are supporting but giving less; they have less to give,” says Mr O'Connor.

While people’s monetary donations have decreased, their generosity of time has increased. Volunteers are always welcomed by both charities. 

"The public can contact us and we can match what they can offer to what we need," adds Mr Griffin. 

"The group we know of as homeless are made up of men and women from ordinary families who went to school, college and work with the rest of us. 

"They are not a separate part of society, they are just a fluctuating group who find themselves in need of support to get back to where the rest of us are," he asserts.

For more information on Galway Simon, click here or telephone 091 381828. Further details on COPE Galway are available via their website or 091 778750.

One in Five People Consider Suicide

ASIST facilitator Mark Logan (far left) and course
participants at NUI Galway.  Photo c/o NUIG Students' Union

AT ANY given time, one in five people will have suicidal thoughts. This fact was one of many eye-opening statistics shared with students who took part in a suicide first aid course in NUI Galway last week. 

Participants were also informed that people who have made a previous suicide attempt are 100 times more likely to die by suicide.

The aim of the Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training course is to equip partakers with the required skills to identify when somebody might be depressed or suicidal.

Students were taught how to connect with, understand and assist an individual who is experiencing suicidal thoughts or tendencies.

The initiative was originally due to take place in the college in October but was cancelled due to HSE cutbacks.

Following the controversial decision, the Students’ Union lobbied the Government and funding was restored.

The hands-on training programme took place on campus on February 14 and 15 and eighteen students attended.

“ASIST courses are hugely important globally – evaluations have shown that where ASIST is being rolled out extensively amongst communities, the incidence of suicide has dropped,” said Mark Logan, ASIST trainer and Regional Manager at RehabCare West.

“People come in feeling worried and anxious about the course and leave feeling confident about what they can do.

“The evaluations are universally excellent because people leave with a set of skills and confidence to know what to do if somebody is at risk of suicide,” Mr Logan added.

Joanna Brophy, Assistant Manager of NUIG’s Students' Union, stated: “It was great to work with Headsup and we look forward to running the course again, most likely in October 2013.”

The model for the ASIST course was originally developed by the Canadian mental health initiative LivingWorks in 1982. The programme is the most widely used suicide intervention training course in the world – over one million people have been trained globally.

The NUIG Students’ Union has been running the two-day ASIST course on campus once a semester since 2009.

In Ireland the course is facilitated by the HSE and Headsup – a Rehab Group initiative that promotes positive mental health among young people.

Over the past decade, some 25,000 people have participated in the ASIST programme nationally.

In 2011, the last year for which records are available, there were 525 reported cases of death by suicide in this country.

State funding of €35 million has been earmarked for spending in the mental health sector in 2013; the same amount as last year.

In January Kathleen Lynch, Minister of State with responsibility for Mental Health, spoke of the Government’s future plans in this area. As part of their bullying action scheme, a programme that promotes positive mental health in secondary schools has been launched.

At a practice-based level, two specialist nurses are to be stationed in each suicide unit in Ireland. A joint initiative with the Irish College of GPs that will increase doctor training on the subject has also been introduced.

For further information on mental health support, text HEADSUP to 50424 or visit www.headsup.ie. Details on ASIST and other mental health courses are available on the National Office for Suicide Prevention website – www.nosp.ie. For additional information on RehabCare West, telephone 091 755 686 or email mark.logan@rehab.ie.

This article was published on Headsup.ie and also featured in today's edition of The Connacht Tribune.

We Need to Talk About Suicide

IN IRELAND close to 600 people die by suicide annually – three times the number of people killed on our roads. What can we do as a nation to help end this endemic? Órla Ryan talks to those who dedicate much of their lives to providing support for people dealing with mental health issues and the repercussions of suicide.

Image c/o Pieta.ie

There were 525 deaths by suicide reported in 2011, an increase of seven per cent on the previous year.

It is all too easy to become immune to hearing such statistics, but, as a community, we must remember that every figure masks a face; a human life. Those gone were a best friend, a child, a parent, a lover, a classmate.

Many factors contribute to a person ending their own life. Bea Gavin, Head of Counselling at NUI Galway, believes the recession has led to a sense of purposelessness for many.

“Thinking about suicide is much more common than we realise . . . you cannot know who will and who won’t go on to make an attempt, so it is important to offer support,” she says.

Ms Gavin notes that the number of students seeking guidance at the university’s counselling service “increases every year”, with almost 1,000 people attending in 2012.

Greater levels of communication and information on mental health are vital to help those in need. “Public campaigns have a big role to play. It is important to create an environment where these issues can be talked about,” Ms Gavin maintains.

She lists alcohol as a possible “trigger to a suicide attempt”, adding, “The culture of binge drinking is also significant in that a very high rate of suicidality is associated with alcohol use.”

Sandra Hogan, who works with Aware, echoes these sentiments. “Alcohol . . . is a disinhibitor, it can also impact on levels of self-anger and self-aggression,” she states.

“We need to be careful about the way we talk about suicide – it has become such a commonplace word that it is perhaps being viewed as an option by some people who are vulnerable,” Ms Hogan adds.

Self-mutilation is also an issue of immense concern. "There is a huge fear around self-harm with people being quite ashamed of their actions. Families are in deep distress and they need more help to manage," Pauline Bergin, a senior psychotherapist at Pieta House, affirms.

Like most suicide related charities, the volume of people contacting Pieta is increasing steadily. Over 3,000 people attended their Dublin and Longford centres in 2012 alone.

Ms Bergin advises people “to recognise when their loved one or friend is becoming more isolated, not interacting, not eating or sleeping.

“I would encourage them to seek help with either their local GP or counselling service . . . sooner rather than later.”

Young Men and Suicide

The Young Men and Suicide Report, compiled by the cross-border Men’s Health Forum, states that Ireland’s rate of suicide among young males is among the highest in the European Union. Some 165 and 72 young men killed themselves in the Republic and Northern Ireland respectively in 2011.

The report attributed the recent increase in suicides in this demographic to the economic downturn and unemployment.

The National Office for Suicide Prevention (NOSP) 2011 Annual Report shows that suicide is much more common among men than women. This rate has steadily increased from 8.4 per 100,000 in 1980 to 20 per 100,000 in 2009. NOSP works closely with the HSE to provide suicide prevention training and resource packs.

‘Mind your Man’ is a soon-to-be-launched campaign headed up by Pieta House that will encourage people to take action when a man shows signs of distress or suicidal tendencies. The charity’s CEO Joan Freeman will appear on The Late Late Show on February 8 to discuss the venture.

John Buckley, Youth Engagement Officer with SpunOut, believes we need to gain a greater understanding of how young Irish men think and learn what supportive factors work for them.

“In Ireland there has traditionally been a distinct lack of dialogue around suicide and this has potentially impacted on how young men perceive help-seeking and speaking up.

"Problems such as financial and relationship-related issues were seen as a weakness and reaching out was at times seen as 'not manly',” Mr Buckley states.

He is a firm believer in early intervention; prevention is always preferable to cure.

“We need to understand that positive mental health starts in the early years, not in a fire fighting battle when the problem is endemic.

 “It’s an extremely tough fight, but fighting stigma is something that has been successful in many areas, such as cancer, so it's a fight we can win,” he asserts.

The Scotland Model

Mary McTernan set up the GRASP (Greater Responsibility and Awareness in Suicide Prevention) Life Foundation four months ago. In 2004 she lost her only son Garry to suicide at the age of 24.

The charity aims to provide a full time suicide prevention, intervention and postvention service through training and counselling. It also facilitates support groups for those who have been bereaved through suicide. Since its inception, the organisation has worked with 43 crisis situations in the North West.

“Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem – there are ways around everything,” Ms McTernan states. 

She feels the Irish government should follow Scotland’s lead of increasing funding in the area of mental health.  Based on three-year rolling averages, there was a 17 per cent fall in suicide rates in Scotland between 2000 - 2002 and 2009 - 2011.

The Government has earmarked €35million for spending in this sector in 2013 – the same amount as last year.

Last week Kathleen Lynch, Minister of State with responsibility for Mental Health, spoke of the Government’s future plans in this area. As part of their bullying action scheme, a programme that promotes positive mental health in secondary schools has been launched.

At a practice-based level, two specialist nurses are to be stationed in each suicide unit in Ireland. A joint initiative with the Irish College of GPs that will increase doctor training on the subject has also been introduced.

In December, Minister Lynch promised that the 414 community mental health posts announced in the 2011 budget would be filled by the end of January. So far this figure stands at less than half. The Government cannot make empty promises when so many lives are at stake. Now is the time for action; not lip service.

More needs to be done – both in terms of public information campaigns and financial assistance from the Government. Those in rural areas should have the same level of access to support as those in cities and large towns.

Ireland has made some steps in the right direction where mental health is concerned. However, this is largely due to independent, non-State funded organisations. A collective effort is needed make real progress.

To reduce the stigma that often surrounds mental health issues, honest and frank discussions are needed at family, local and national level.

If you are feeling depressed or suicidal – or want to talk about any aspect your mental health – speak up. For anyone who is concerned about a loved one, listen and show your support.

And for the Government, as Ms Bergin put it; “Recognise that suicide is not going away."

Aware: 1890 303 302; info@aware.ie	GRASP Life: 087 4188053 / 086 6824760; www.grasplife.ie	National Centre for Youth Mental Health: www.headstrong.ie
National Office for Suicide Prevention: 01 6352139 / 01-6352179; info@nosp.ie	NUIG Counselling Service: 091 524411 (ext. 2484); counselling@nuigalway.ie	Pieta House Midwest: 061 484444; mary@pieta.ie
See Change (National Stigma Reduction Partnership): 01 8601620; info@seechange.ie	SpunOut: 01 675 3554; info@spunout.ie	Your Mental Health: www.yourmentalhealth.ie

Me, Myself and Mental Health

"March?," I cried.

"How could the next available appointment be in March? It's only early November."

I collapsed onto my bed in a fit of tears, virtually inconsolable. I had finally plucked up the courage to seek professional help and the soonest appointment with a psychiatrist was nearly five months away.

I should state that I am speaking about a personal experience that took place couple of years ago - although I'm not sure whether or not waiting lists have decreased significantly in the interim.

At the time, I decided to go through the public health care system for financial reasons. My parents had paid for me to go to a counsellor in the past and, I'm certain, they would have done so again had I chosen to tell them I had fallen back into the clasp of depression.

To be honest, I had never come fully out of it. I didn't feel as though I was making any progress with therapy the previous year so I stopped going and pretended to be OK again. I chose to keep my mental state a secret this time around - I'm not sure why. Partly due to shame I think.

Luckily, a cancellation meant I was given a new appointment in late January. Not so luckily, it didn't seem to make any difference. I was prescribed more medication and still at a loss of what to do next.

For me, depression started off as a tiny black dot inside my gut. It would increase and decrease in size sporadically. There were times when I could push it away and ignore it; there were times when it impacted on every single action I made.

Since I was quite young, I remember experiencing periods of deep sadness. This feeling was heightened during my teenage years - something put down to angst and hormones (which no doubt did play a role). During my worst period of depression, there were many factors involved. I felt like a huge disappointment in every way: I was unhappy at college; had my heart broken; failed to make a lot of new friends. I felt completely isolated.

At its peak - or rather depth - my depression was almost unbearable. I had lost all hope and saw no way forward. For a period of my life, I thought death was the only way I would find relief from what was now an all-consuming black mass. It had taken my identity; I no longer felt like a person with depression, rather depression itself. The blackness was not in me; it had become me.

I found solace in the face that, even if I didn't go through with it today or next week or next year, suicide was my 'get out of jail free' card. The main reason I didn't end my own life was the realisation of what the repercussions would be on those closest to me.

People often say that suicide is the ultimate act of selfishness, but, to someone in that mind-set, this is not the case. If a person is suicidal it's safe to say that they are not thinking clearly, so don't be so quick to judge.

I became extremely reclusive when I was depressed - I couldn't face being around people. In retrospect, this is one of the worst things I could have done. Engaging with people was one of the reasons my condition started to improve. I know this is easier said than done. I found Aware's anonymous online support group very helpful in this regard - it was a safe, kind place to talk.

When in the throes of depression, there is little, if anything, someone can say that will ease the pain. You may have heard this a thousand times before but PLEASE TALK: to a friend, a family member, a teacher, a doctor, an online support group. Seeking help may seem possible at times but you have the strength to do it. It might be a long road ahead but it does get better. You will feel better and you can be happy.

I don't pretend to know a lot about mental health. Professing a lack of knowledge in this area may, in itself, be the height of understanding some of us can achieve in this regard.

I don't recall why, or exactly when, I began to feel better; but I did. For me medication or therapy didn’t seem to help, interacting with others did. Every person is different, but by reaching out you will find something that works for you.  

Every now and then, I have my bad hours or days or weeks, but I am happy to be alive and to be able to experience life – the good and bad.

If you feel down, talk. Help is there. Life will get better.


This article was also published on Headsup.ie and in Student Independent News, NUI Galway's student newspaper.

Clientelist Culture - Holding Back Ireland's Political Policies?

Image c/o Broadsheet.ie

THE IRISH political system is littered with oddities - before one even begins to discuss individuals. Some of these anomalies have led to the culture of clientelism that exists in our country. TDs have two roles - firstly that of legislator and, secondly, local dignitary and promoter. In Irish eyes, the latter is usually deemed more important.

Political parties often choose to contest an election on local issues¹, to the detriment of policy formation and legislation. And who could blame them? From 1922-1997, 34 per cent of TDs who lost their seats did so to a running mate. Our electoral system - Proportional Representation by means of a Single Transferable Vote in a Multi-Seat Constituency (PR-STV) - pits members of the same party against each other. Given the fact they cannot differentiate themselves from their peers on ideological issues, they must do so in terms of constituency work. In the 2002 General Election, the 14 Independent seats went to candidates who argued that their constituencies were not receiving enough government funding, particularly in terms of the ever-emotive area of health services.²

Clientelism exists for a number of reasons. Ireland's colonial background has created a history of alienation from central government, stemming back to British Rule. The urban-rural divide or 'us and them' mentality is also a factor in this regard. In the 1960s Basil Chubb, one of the first political commentators of the modern era, stated: "For generations, Irish people saw that, to get the benefits the public authorities bestow, the help of a man with connections and influence was necessary. All that democracy has meant is that such a man has been laid on officially, as it were, and is now no longer a master but a servant."³

Article 16.2.6 of the 1937 Irish Constitution states that a TD can represent a maximum of 30,000 citizens. One might assume that this relatively small ratio would enable politicians to spend the majority of their time focusing on their primary role of legislator. This, however, is not the case. The scale of society means that TDs can hold up to four 'clinics' a week, where they listen to the grievances of their constituents and, essentially, are asked for favours.

Many people still hold the opinion that one must know someone with "pull" in order to receive the State benefits they are entitled to. However, politicians often access facilities rather than provide them. They have experience of dealing with our particular brand of bureaucracy and know how to navigate the often complex maze that is Irish red tape. Meticulous applications for planning permission and social welfare benefits could well be as effective, if not more so, than supposed political intervention. Whether or not TDs actually exercise any influence on a decision that affects their constituency, or a member of it, is much debated. It has been claimed that they rarely objectively impact such decisions but merely create imaginary patronage through an "illusion of assistance" aided by advance knowledge of the outcome.³

This type of activity is systemic and cabinet ministers are seemingly as prone to engage in the process of brokerage as their lesser-known peers. The resignation of the Junior Minister for Health, Labour's Róisín Shortall, in September - over what she labelled "stroke politics" by Minister for Health James Reilly - highlighted this fact. Two locations in his north Dublin constituency were added to a list of places chosen for primary care centres on the evening before they were announced by the Government. The HSE and Ms Shortall had drawn up a priority list of locations in terms of need for the service. On it, Balbriggan ranked 44th and Swords was placed in 130th position. There were 36 locations on the final list. Despite near constant allegations, Mr Reilly has repeatedly denied localism played a part in the last minute additions. Last week's austere budget has deflected some attention from this particular issue but the argument still rumbles on.

Clientelism keeps politicians in touch with local issues but, unfortunately, its negative consequences far outweigh the positive ones. Clientelism disorganises the poor and vulnerable in society as it prevents them from grouping together and attempting to bring about real social and political change.³ It increases resentment and a feeling of exclusion for those who disagree with or do not engage in the practice.³ It also makes it extremely difficult for new politicians to break through and pump much needed fresh blood into the body of the Irish government.³

President Michael D Higgins previously stated that clientelism "seriously sells us short and distracts attention from the real basis of economic exploitation, political domination and ideological manipulation in Irish society".³ It seems that the process, like many contentious Irish political issues, isn't going away any time soon. Perhaps if our elected representatives spent more time dealing with their primary role of policy making, better decisions - both in terms of investment and cutbacks - might be made.


References:

¹ Adshead, M and Tonge, J (2009) Politics in Ireland, Palgrave Macmillan
² Gallagher, M; Marsh, M and Mitchell, P (2003) How Ireland Voted 2002, Palgrave Macmillan
³ Higgins, MD (2008) Causes for Concern: Irish Politics, Culture and Society, Liberties Press

Funding for NUI Galway Suicide Intervention Course Restored

Image c/o NUI Galway Students' Union

FUNDING for a suicide intervention training course that was discontinued in NUI Galway in October has been restored by the HSE.

The Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training programme was scrapped due to government cutbacks, but the decision was overturned following lobbying by the Students' Union.

Patrick Clancy, the university's Convenor for Arts, Social Sciences and Celtic Studies, has welcomed the decision to recommence the ASIST course but maintains more needs to be done. The initiative will now take place in February next year.

"I am very pleased to hear that the funding is available in 2013. In this academic year, over 50 people were due to be trained as part of this programme. However, due to the cutbacks, under 25 will now be trained . . . So, while I welcome the funding being continued in 2013, I respectfully demand that there is a second course for NUIG students put on in the latter half of the semester," Mr Clancy said.

"This course is provided at minimal cost to the HSE and it leads directly into saving the most vulnerable age group from suicide. Some 84 per cent of fatalities from suicide are male. The biggest sector susceptible to suicide is the 'male between 18 & 25' group," he added.

Mr Clancy has been lobbying all TDs in Galway, Mayo and Clare about the issue for the past three months. He also contacted An Taoiseach Enda Kenny who in turn brought the matter to the attention of Anne O'Neill, Business Area Manager with HSE West.

The ASIST course has been held on campus once a semester since 2009. Its aim is to equip participants, both students and staff, with the skills needed to provide suicide first aid for a person at risk. Over the past decade, 25,000 people have been trained in the programme nationally.

Minister for Health James Reilly confirmed the HSE's decision to re-allocate funding for the initiative last week. “The HSE acknowledges the great support they have received from the NUIG Students Union over the last number of years and plans to continue to work in partnership with the SU and deliver an ASIST workshop in NUIG in February 2013,” stated Minister Reilly.

The head of NUI Galway's Student Counselling Service has also welcomed the news, describing the initial decision to cut the programme as "short-sighted". "When authorities such as the HSE are pressed financially, training can seem like an easy cut to make," Bea Gavin commented. "The benefits from this course far outweigh the cost," she added.

Ms Gavin said she hoped the decision might lead to funding being granted for similar college-based initiatives aimed at mental health professionals. A STORM self-harm risk assessment and management training course for therapists took place in NUI Galway in January of this year but there are currently no plans for it to be re-run.

Information on ASIST is available on the National Office for Suicide Prevention website: www.nosp.ie. For further details on NUI Galway's free and confidential counselling services, contact 087-6644299 or counselling@nuigalway.ie. 


This article was also published in The Connacht Tribune and Student Independent News, NUI Galway's student newspaper.

HSE cutbacks force cancellation of NUIG suicide intervention programme

Image c/o NUI Galway Students' Union

THE CASH-STRAPPED HSE has abandoned a suicide intervention programme aimed at students in NUI Galway, after the Government opted to use €35 million allocated for mental health services to offset the massive health budget deficit.

The Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training course was due to take place in the college earlier this month but the initiative was scrapped as a direct result of HSE cuts brought on by the current economic situation.
 
The Students’ Union has been running the two-day ASIST course on campus once a semester since 2009, with 60 people attending annually. The course was provided free of charge by the HSE while the SU facilitated the enrolling of students.
 
Over the past decade, 25,000 people have been trained in the ASIST programme nationally, with 3,000 people taking part in the initiative so far this year.
 
Joanna Brophy, the course's co-ordinator at the university, has criticised its cancellation, saying it means dozens of students will now not be trained in suicide prevention skills. The HSE plans to deliver another ASIST workshop in NUI Galway in February 2013. "In the meantime we have worked with AWARE to bring the six-week free Living Life to the Full course to campus this semester," Ms Brophy stated.
 
A spokesperson for the HSE acknowledged "the great support" the organisation has received from the college's Students' Union in the past and blamed the ASIST cancellation on financial constraints imposed by the Government and the Troika. The body is seeking to save €26million in 2012 by making cutbacks in the areas of education, training and travel.
 
NUI Galway's Head of Counselling Bea Gavin has described the abandonment of the ASIST programme this semester as "very regrettable". "One of the great benefits of the training is that it encourages those who are concerned about vulnerable young people to talk to them openly about their feelings and to encourage them to seek help," she asserted.
 
In light of this development, the college’s Student Welfare Officer has called for increased mental health services at both local and national level.
 
Dami Adebari, who is also Vice President of the Students' Union, praised the counselling facilities available at the university and the success of their recent Mental Health Week but stated that more needs to be done to help those in trouble.
 
"When things get hard, we all have to take a hit," Mr Adebari stated. However, he feels the same rule should not apply in relation to psychiatric services - initiatives that have a proven track record of success. "These are people's lives at stake here," he said.
 
Ironically the SU has just announced that it has chosen a suicide prevention charity as one of the beneficiaries of its fundraising efforts during this academic year. Pieta House is a non-profit organisation that provides specialised treatment programmes for people who are dealing with suicidal thoughts or self-harming issues.
 
The charity plans to open its first western facility in Tuam next year. Some eighty per cent of their funding comes from public donations and the new centre is the result of an 18 month fundraising campaign led by local businessman John Concannon. The amenity will be located on Bishop Street and will serve Galway, Mayo and Roscommon.
 
"Suicide can happen to anyone and I want to ask everyone in NUI Galway to look out for their friends and classmates and get in contact with us if they think anyone may be in distress," Joan Freeman, Pieta House founder, stated.
 
For further details on NUI Galway's free and confidential counselling services, contact 087-6644299 or counselling@nuigalway.ie. Information about Pieta House is available here.


This article was also published in The Connacht Tribune and Student Independent News, NUI Galway's student newspaper.

Ireland's Children: Second Class Citizens?

c/o Barnardos.it

THE ERA of treating Ireland's children as "second class citizens" could and should soon be over. 

This is the view of Fergus Finlay, CEO of Barnardos and long-time children's rights activist, on the upcoming Children's Referendum. Mr Finlay is one of the most vociferous supporters of the referendum.

He feels the constitutional amendment, if ratified, will aid in ending the current situation in Irish society whereby children are often treated as sub-par members of the community. 

He is firmly of the belief that such a referendum is long overdue and he admits to being continually frustrated by "the notion of a society that pays lip service to equality". He made the comments while speaking at NUI Galway this week.

The amendments to the Constitution proposed in the referendum aim to ensure that all children are recognised in their own right; protected from abuse and neglect; and will benefit from equal rights and protections, regardless of the marital status of their parents.

Mr Finlay is all too aware that parental neglect is by no means the only form of abuse faced by children.

He cites the Ryan and Murphy Commissions - both of which dealt with the sexual and physical abuse of children in Ireland at the hands of the Catholic Church - as evidence that the State is "adept at turning a blind eye" to the institutional and systematic abuse of children.

Barnardos, Ireland's leading children's charity, runs over 40 centres in local communities across the country, working with vulnerable children and their families. Their only direct facility for adults is the Barnardos Service for Survivors of Abuse.

The aforementioned reports are not alone in exposing state and institutional corruption. Mr Finlay notes the importance of the media in shining a light on the gross misconduct that permeated so many aspects of Irish culture for a prolonged period. 

He views the work of the late Mary Raftery as a prime example of the huge impact a journalist can have on societal change. Her documentaries for RTÉ - States of Fear (1999) and Cardinal Secrets (2002) - led to the setting up of the aforementioned commissions. In doing so, Mr Finlay feels they aided in bringing the 'kissing the ring' culture in Ireland to a halt, whereby the Government bowed before the Church in an unapologetic and widely unquestioned manner that led to the horrific abuse of approximately 100,000 children.

Barnardos is funded by the state to a "bog standard level", according to Mr Finlay. The organisation bridges the financial gap between the money they receive and the money they need through fundraising. In 2011, they recorded losses of €1.5 million, following a nine per cent decline in donations. Total revenue at the charity fell from €24 million to €23.9 million, while employee costs increased from €16.9 million to €17.1 million.

In a bid to save money, the charity closed all its services and put its staff on unpaid leave for one week last August. Mr Finlay has warned that the funding cuts being imposed across the NGO sector have the potential to do “untold damage” to vulnerable children and families.

It seems quite the juxtaposition that the State is attempting to improve the lives of its children with the referendum while concurrently cutting vital funding for the organisations that aim to end the chronic poverty in which many of them struggle to survive. Unfortunately, it seems likely that some of our young people will remain second class citizens for the foreseeable future.