About Us

Mission statement

The North West Parents and Friends Association of Parents and Friends of people with Intellectual Disabilities are a voluntary locally based community Association, which is dedicated to the support of facilities and communities, working towards the fulfillment, needs and rights of people with intellectual disabilities and special needs, to achieve for each individual the greatest possible level of health and social gain, bearing in mind at all times, the personal dignity of each individual.

Achievement

Today, in the North West of Ireland, there are day-care and pre-school services, community group homes, special schools, vocational training units and sheltered workshops for people with intellectual disabilities/special needs. These excellent facilities exist mainly because of the dedication of the North West
Parents and Friends Association back in the 1960's.

In 1963, the Association was spurred on by the vision of one courageous young Sligo mother who refused to take "No" for an answer, when she desperately sought help for
her son with special needs. In that year, a small group of parents' of children with special needs and a few supporters came together armed with little more than hope and the will to work. They formed the first
"North West Association of Parents and Friends, and began by providing voluntary assistance for the Sisters of La Sagesse, in their work for people with intellectual disabilities/special needs at Cregg House,
Sligo.

Objectives

In the most appropriate setting, and within the framework of regular evaluation, to achieve for each individual person the highest possible level of health and social gain, from the best use of the resources that are available to the Association.

. To actively promote services where all children and adults are given the opportunity and the right to grow and develop.

. To ensure that all children and adults have the right to live in an environment and an atmosphere that maximises their progress towards independent living.

. That all services are provided in the least restrictive environment, based on personal choice and need, and managed with an overall goal of achieving for each individual the greatest possible outcome within the
resources available.

. To enable underStanding by all Staff of North West Parents and Friends Association to offer respect, dignity love, kindness and advocacy.

. To strive to promote at all times the dignity, well being, health, happiness, and educational opportunities to all people in our care.

In fulfilling this role, the North West Parents and Friends Association depend on the support and shared commitment of the parents, the local community and the Health Service Executive.

Autonomy

North West Parents and Friends Association of Mentally Handicapped Children limited was incorporated as a company limited by guarantee without a share capital, under the Companies Act 1963. The company's Memorandum of Association (section6) limits the liability of each member to such amounts as may be
required but not exceeding €I each.

North West Parents and Friends are governed by a Board of Directors. Company law requires the Directors to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the company and of the profit or loss of the company for that year.

Fundraising

Although a large portion of our funding is received from the Department of Education and Science and The Health Service Executive, we must find additional funding ourselves to continue improving the quality of life of our service users, which is why your support is so essential. We have a number of very active branches
in Tireragh, Carrick-on-Shannon and Manorhamilton. Each Branch is autonomous and contributes largely to the social activities of its community. It is also available to supply information to parents and provide a forum for discussion on where they can get proper advice and guidance in regard to their problems.

Public Awareness

In 1965, these vital services, available today, were just wishful thinking when the Association was laying the cornerstones of its strength and development, fostering its aims and objectives through a series of lectures and film shows in the key centers of population in Sligo, Leitrim and Roscommon.

In 1965, when St Cecilia's School opened at Cregg House, Sligo, transport was a top priority. There was no school transport in those far off days and members used their own cars as well as paying for taxis to transport the children to St Cecilia's School from within a ten mile radius of Sligo.

During these early years, members assisted the Sisters in Cregg House, by providing moral support and voluntary help in many ways, and also through providing items of machinery and equipment necessary for training and caring for persons with intellectual disabilities/special needs at Cregg. At the same time Cregg House, parents' social evenings, which consisted of talks and lectures, followed by refreshments, were held to help parents in
learning more about the problems and difficulties related to special needs, and how to cope with them. Furthermore, Symposiums and Seminars were also held to educate the public at large as to the problems associated with intellectual disabilities/special needs. By these means, in a short period of time, the community became much more knowledgeable and conversant around the area of intellectual disabilities/special needs.

Three years after the Parents and Friends inception, the first big project had been completed, a new Domestic Science kitchen, completely equipped, had been built for the School at Cregg House, under contract, at a cost of £800.00. Next, the Association turned to the question of adult facilities for those with a moderate degree of disability, girls who would soon be finishing their education at St. Cecilia's School.

The need to give these girls some type of suitable employment was examined. The Parents and Friends agreed to convert an old building at Cregg into a Workshop, and to equip it. The eventual cost was almost £9,000.00 which was partly subsidised by two grants from the Health Service Executive (formerly Western and North Western Health Boards) totaling£3,000,00.

The girls went into the Workshop in 1972, and some of them started training under a qualified confectioner; selling their produce to shops in Sligo. Others made household textiles, also for sale, or did light assembly work for local factories.

Innovative Step forward

The Association, in 1967, was convinced that life for the individual with an intellectual disability should be as normal as possible. To achieve this aim, and despite reservations expressed by others, it was decided to take a bold, innovative step forward, and construct two chalets, with accommodation in each for eight to ten adults and
a House Parent, thus providing family type accommodation for the girls who had started working in Cregg House.

The Association decided to assist the Sisters of La Sagesse and took responsibility for the construction of two chalets and the access road. These were completed in 1970. They were the first of their kind in Ireland, and proved so tremendously successful that work then started in 1970 on eleven additional bungalows, which when
finished would cater for children approaching adulthood. Of the £ 14,550 spent by the Association on the chalets and the approach road, a grant of £6,500 was eventually received from the Department of Health.

Vital Decisions

At the very foundation of the Association, the Board of Management was forced to make serious policy decisions. For instance, how far should their Services extend? What age group should they cover? What categories of intellectual disabilities/ special needs should they serve? These were a few of the major problems which were of extreme importance to the development and provision of facilities for people with intellectual disabilities/special needs. At the onset, a fundamental, yet difficult decision was taken, to start at the beginning with the young
children and, as it were, to grow up with these, expanding as the children grew to adulthood, and far into their future lives, even to the time when they would become elderly, still many years ahead, but growing closer. Fortunately, we did not have many adults claiming services at this time, and therefore we were able to
provide for the young adults leaving school, and those who were in Residential Centres and returning to their home areas.

Accordingly, in 1969, members of the Association undertook the mammoth task of establishing a special school for children with a mild disability in the Sligo/Leitrim area. In September 1971 a school was sanctioned by the Department of Education and opened in temporary premises in the old Vocational School in Quay Street,
Sligo. The school opened with three teachers and 5 pupils. Subsequently, a suitable site was purchased by the Association from the Health Service Executive (formerly North Western Health Board) at a cost of £5,000.00 and here a new six - teacher school was built, at Ballytivnan, approximately one mile north of Sligo city.