€2 million funding for Autism Plan

MINISTER for Health Simon Harris has announced that €2 million was secured in Budget 2020 for the Autism Plan.

Over the next year, the additional funding secured will be used in a number of priority areas:

• To implement 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

• To build 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 ASD.

Minister Harris said he was delighted to have secured the funding. 

“It is so important we increase knowledge and change attitudes,” he said. 

“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.

“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 Disabilities, and Dublin Bay North TD Finian McGrath, also welcomed the additional funding.

“Improving the lives of people with disabilities is my priority as a Minister and the planned service improvements under the Autism Plan are an important step in making services more responsive to what people have told us that they want and need,” said Minister McGrath.