Over the coming year the work activities of the National Federation Secretariat Team will focus on ensuring that member organisations are supported to provide high quality person centred services and supports to people with an intellectual disability. A key principle of the National Federation in delivering our Service Plan is our commitment to actively engage with people who avail of intellectual disability services.
In 2009 the National Federation will continue its campaign to limit funding reductions to those already announced. We will take every opportunity to remind Government of the commitment which they gave:
- to prioritise disability in the context of the National Disability Strategy, and
- to minimise the impact of budgetary adjustments on people with an intellectual disability.
We have developed initiatives to ensure that staff and volunteers in our services are equipped to meet the many challenges ahead, initiatives to promote the inclusion of people with an intellectual disability in their own communities, key policy development initiatives and an exciting programme of research with a particular emphasis on Living Options which has been identified as the key research priority in 2009. A range of actions are also outlined which will progress the valuable work of the Informing Families Project. And a key function for us is the sharing of information amongst member organisations.
We are proactive in developing and contributing to policy initiatives that impact on the lives of children and adults with an intellectual disability. Working closely with our various Sub-Committees, the National Federation develops policy positions on a wide range of topics for consideration and approval of our Board. We also contribute and respond to non-policy initiatives developed by the statutory authorities including Government, Health Service Executive, and an extensive range of advisory and expert groups.
The National Federation of Voluntary Bodies also contributes to policy development at a European level through our representation on the Board of the European Association of Service Providers for Persons with Disabilities (EASPD). This provides us with an opportunity to contribute to the development of various EU directives, to the implementation of the Council of Europe’s Disability Action Plan and enables us to monitor developments at EU level.