Community Healthcare Cavan, Donegal, Leitrim, Monaghan, Sligo
HSE Community Inclusion (CI) Connect Hub in Cleveragh, Sligo will be officially opened today.
CI Connect Hub is a HSE run school leaver service for young adults who have an intellectual disability transitioning to adult services. CI Connect Hub is part of Sligo Leitrim Community Inclusion Training Services which delivers services for adults between the ages of 18 to 65 years with intellectual disabilities.
There are 18 young adults attending the service at present, each person has their own individualised plan for the future, some are already very certain about what they want, while others are still exploring and discovering their values and options. Some programme participants have successfully secured paid employment on a part time basis, while others have developed hobbies and interests and are living their best life as young adults learning and experiencing what their local community has to offer.
Barry Leonard from CI Connect, spoke of his experience of the programme and what he enjoys the most. “We have a new App that I use to plan my life goals; the App is great because I can plan on the go, I am in control and I blog a lot.”
The programme participants showcased a video they made to highlight their experience of the Hub and that of their family members. It included testimonials on work experience, personal development, community mapping and independent living skills.
Marion Brick family member stated “from an early stage it was clear that staff in the Hub recognised the importance of meaningful engagement and for my son it’s his love of the arts, media and entertainment. CI Connect gives my son a sense of purpose and he now has a meaningful job in the Hawks Well Theatre because of the work in in the Hub.”
Irene Durkan, Programme Co-ordinator CI Connect explained the Hub is all about making connections and building relationships as well as collaborating with many agencies and groups to support programme participants to follow their vision and progress their life goals. The role played by external stakeholders who have supported the team in promoting the integration of persons with a disability into the local community was acknowledged by Ann Marie Banks, Service Manager for HSE Sligo Leitrim Community Inclusion Training Services. She highlighted that community integration is pivotal to the success of this programme; the development of this new service has facilitated the move from the traditional model of centre based programmes to one that embraces a new model of support with focus on community participation and learning in the ordinary, everyday environment.
Performing the official opening, Head of Service Disability Services, CH CDLMS Edel Quinn stated “I am delighted to be here today to officially open this Hub. It is an excellent example of what a New Directions type service is all about. I wish to thank the service users, families and staff for their support on this exciting journey. The programme in CI Connect is a catalyst not just for community inclusion, but real active participation, enabling and promoting active citizenship within the local community. The next decade will see a growth in school leavers with disabilities and we need to plan ahead for the provision of similar type hubs across the service.”
Last updated on: 07 / 12 / 2023
