Minister for Children, Disability and Equality Norma Foley visits Disability services around Sligo

Minister for Children, Disability and Equality Norma Foley visited a number of Disability Services around Sligo town on Thursday 5th February 2026.

Minister Foley began her visit at the Suaimhneas Respite Centre. This HSE owned property has been extensively renovated and extended and the respite service will be delivered via Rehab Care. The service is due to open at the end of Q1 2026 when the service has been registered by the Health Information & Quality Authority (HIQA). The new centre will have a positive impact on children’s respite waiting list numbers when the service commences. It will also see a reduction in the adult respite waiting list as currently respite is from the same centre for children and adults on alternate weeks.

Minister Foley then visited two new HSE community group homes, each accommodating four adults. Both homes opened in 2025, one as part of the decongregation programme for Cloonamahon residential service and one to provide residents, who had been living in a leased property, with a home for life. Residents have settled very well into their new homes and have become an integral part of their new communities, making friends with neighbours and others in the locality and participating in many local activities.

From there Minister Foley travelled to Nazareth House to learn of the work being done by the HSE Children’s Disability Network Team (CDNT) services. Children's disability services are for children and young people up to age 18 who have complex needs associated with their disability. Services are provided in the CDNT which is comprised of a range of professionals such as occupational therapists, psychologists, physiotherapists, social workers and speech and language therapists. Some teams also have access to dietitians, family support workers, nurses and social care workers.

Finally, Minister Foley visited the Community Inclusion (CI) Connect Hub. The CI Connect Hub is a HSE Day Service for young adults with disabilities. The Hub opened in 2023 in response to the need to create more Day Service opportunities for young adults leaving school. The service was funded through the School Leaver’s programme with funding from the Department of Children, Disability and Equality. The CI Connect service model is based on national HSE New Directions policy. It is a person-centred programme, focused on enabling programme paricipants to develop skills, achieve their goals and has a strong emphasis on community participation. How personal goals have been achieved and the use of assistive technology as a support were demonstrated to Minister Foley by young adults who attend CI Connect.

Commenting on her visit Minister Foley said “I want to acknowledge the leadership and commitment shown by staff across all the locations that I’m visiting today, and their strong partnerships with families and communities. Today’s visits demonstrate the significant progress underway and the positive impact these services will have for children, adults and families across Sligo and the wider region. I look forward to returning later this spring for the official opening of the Suaimhneas respite centre.”

John Fitzmaurice, Integrated Healthcare Area Manager, Sligo, Leitrim, South Donegal, West Cavan said “We are delighted to welcome Minister Foley to Sligo today, so she can see for herself the work that is being carried out here within Disability Services. With our new children’s respite centre, continued work on decongretation and our school leavers service, this represents only a fraction of what the services are doing here.”