Fine Gael General Election candidate for Cork North West, Cllr John Paul O’Shea has welcomed the allocation of €2 million for the Autism Plan in Budget 2020.
Cllr John Paul O’Shea said: “I am delighted that people with autism and their families in Cork will benefit from this funding. Over the next year, the additional funding secured will be used in a number of priority areas.
“This includes the implementation of a programme of awareness raising that can provide a better information resource for children and parents about what supports are available; a campaign to assist in creating awareness of the challenges, needs and experiences of people with autism; and building capacity and competence amongst key professionals working with autism – including a national training programme for clinicians and the implementation of a tiered model of assessment in order to improve access to and responses by services for those with Autism Spectrum Disorder.”
O’Shea continued: “The proposed campaign will have two key aims, to support and to educate. We want to improve the information provided to people with ASD and their families and help guide them to the supports available from our health service throughout their lives and to create a wider public environment in Ireland that was more aware of the lives, needs and experiences of people with ASD.”
Minister for Health Simon Harris said: “I am delighted to have secured this funding, which will help deliver the autism plan.
“It is so important we increase knowledge and change attitudes. As Minister for Health, I believe we must do more to help autism-proof our health services and the funding secured in Budget 2020 will really help us to reach that goal.”
