Search for suitable location for new youth mental health service in Kildare
This photo is for illustrative purposes only
KILDARE Council has agreed to explore potential premises options for a new Jigsaw youth mental health service in Newbridge, following the announcement of funding for the service.
The issue was raised by cllr Chris Pender at the October meeting of the Kildare-Newbridge Municipal District, where he called on the council to engage with the HSE to help identify suitable accommodation for the service.
The motion follows Jigsaw’s announcement of €1.1 million in funding for a new premises in Newbridge, which was released earlier this month.
Cllr Penders motion sought consideration of council-owned, community and other publicly owned buildings, as well as engagement with owners of vacant, underused or derelict properties about the possibility of temporary use.
He also requested that the council identify any practical supports it could provide to help establish the service, with an update to be brought back to the municipal district.
In its response, the council welcomed the announcement, acknowledging the advocacy work undertaken by elected representatives and Local Community Development Committee (LCDC) agencies.
However, it said it was awaiting further clarification and details following the initial announcement.
It also stressed that services such as Jigsaw are funded through other public bodies, including the HSE and the Department of Health, and said it was important that local authority funding did not replace the responsibilities of those agencies.
The council noted that statutory responsibilities for youth mental health and youth services rest with other organisations.
A wider challenge is that operational funding for some youth services does not cover rent and related costs, making it difficult to secure suitable premises, particularly in the Greater Dublin Area.
The council said coordinated advocacy was needed to secure additional funding for youth services in Kildare, one of the youngest counties in Ireland.
It identified the Children and Young People's Services Committee (CYPSC) as the appropriate body to lead that advocacy, adding that the council and its agency partners were supporting evidence-based cases for increased funding.
Members were also told that CYPSC would present to the municipal district following its next meeting.
The council said that finding an appropriate premises for youth counselling and mental health services presents a number of challenges, and warned that shared community spaces could create child protection risks where vulnerable young people use the same facilities as adults who have not been vetted.
It also said the drop-in element of youth counselling and mental health services requires dedicated access to facilities, while child protection requirements mean at least two professionals must be present on site to meet appropriate staffing ratios.
As a result, the council said most existing council facilities were currently unsuitable for counselling services.
Despite these challenges, the local authority said it had made a substantial submission to the Kildare and Wicklow Education and Training Board (KWETB) as part of the development of its Youth Work Strategic Plan, setting out recommendations for greater collaboration between the organisations.
The KWETB Youth Service has also recently visited 60% of community spaces across the county to assess their suitability for youth programmes.
The council noted it was awaiting further assessments and a detailed response to help plan future collaboration.
The potential use of school facilities for youth services and other community activities outside school hours was also identified as an opportunity, and the council confirmed that it had written to the KWETB seeking a senior-level meeting to explore how access to school facilities might be progressed.
