Donegal County Council has agreed to write to Mental Health Minister Mary Butler and the HSE calling for emergency funding for the Raphoe Diocesan Pastoral Services CLG.
The importance of the crisis-hit Child and Adolescent Counselling service was highlighted at a plenary council in Lifford today, two weeks after the board announced it would cease in March due to a lack of funding for leadership staff.
Councillors Gerry McMonagle and Patrick McGowan today echoed the call for investment from the HSE and Tusla to finance a Director of Counselling and a Coordinator.
The Raphoe Diocesan Pastoral Service is the only non-profit service of its kind in Donegal, with outreach centres for children and teenagers across the county in Dunfanaghy, Stranorlar, Creeslough, and Buncrana, as well as community-funded projects at Hughie’s Corner in Carndonagh and Gemma’s Legacy of Hope in Dungloe.
Cllr McMonagle said the board is not asking for too much, pointing out the low running costs maintained by the service.
“I can’t understand for the life of me why this intervention has not happened and what is taking so long,” he said.
“The figures speak for themselves, it costs the HSE €273,000 to deliver 3,000 sessions or €105,000 if the Raphoe Pastoral Centre delivers them,” he said.
Cllr Patrick McGowan said that the service must be mainstreamed for the benefit of young people in the community.
“You couldn’t have enough counsellors out there at the moment. The good thing about this service is it catches people with problems when they are much younger.”
Cllr McGowan said he is aware that Donegal Minister Charlie McConalogue and Minister of State Mary Butler are talking to the Diocese of Raphoe.
“We need certainty for the client and for the counsellors, and the sooner the better,” Cllr McGowan said.
