Kildare County Council asked to explore location options for youth mental health clinic in Newbridge

Kildare County Council (KCC) has been asked to explore location options for a youth mental health clinic in Newbridge.

The request was heard at the latest Kildare-Newbridge Municipal District (MD) meeting, which took place on Wednesday, January 21 last.

It was submitted via a joint motion from Fianna Fáil councillors Noel Heavey, who is also the Mayor of the MD, and Rob Power, who was absent from the meeting.

Both Mayor Heavey and Cllr Power urged KCC to investigates possible options for locating a Jigsaw Clinic in Newbridge, in order to provide mental health therapy to young people aged between 12 and 25 (Jigsaw is a charity which promotes positive mental health among the youth of Ireland and offers free therapy and supports to them).

The motion was seconded by Fine Gael Cllr Kevin Duffy.

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Replying to the joint motion, KCC issued a lengthy response via the report it presented at the meeting.

It said that while it "recognises the positive work" that Jigsaw and other mental health charities carries out, KCC also emphasised that Jigsaw receives support from the Health Service Executive (HSE) and the Department of Health.

"In that regard, suitable spaces available in the county from these agencies should be a primary and initial consideration for that charity, in terms of sustainably delivering their programmes," KCC added.

KCC further said: "There are a limited range of suitable KCC-owned premises at present, and it would not be appropriate for the KCC to commit to any individual agency in terms of potential or exclusive use of community spaces.

"It is important that any facility that is subject to substantial investment of public funds offers the widest possible range of relevant services to the local community."

OPEN TO ENGAGEMENT

However, KCC also noted: "In that regard, but without prejudice to future general expression of interest processes, KCC will, if Jigsaw are unable to obtain a suitable space from the HSE or Department of Health, engage with them as it would with other groups and charities."

"The members may be aware that a suitable space for both neurodiverse young people, as well as a private space that can also be used for counselling is a need identified from consultation as a concern in Newbridge.

"In that regard, in preliminary designs efforts are being made to accommodate such a space at the future Newbridge Youth Centre, albeit in a property with constraints; given the demographic above, however, in the motion, very careful consideration to child protection measures would be required on what will hopefully be a busy and mixed-use site."

KCC concluded: "As indicated to members before, it is intended to brief them further regarding the outline designs for the Centre during this quarter."

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EPIDEMIC

Another local representative who expressed support for the joint motion was Social Democrats Cllr Chris Pender.

He said: "Anyone who has worked or is working with young people can see the mental health epidemic among young people.

"This is something that should be nationally funded and supported by the HSE."

Cllr Pender added: "I have no doubt that it [the Jigsaw Clinic] is needed, but this is something that out national ministers should be trying to support and secure the funding for."

Another local rep, Fine Gael Cllr Tracey O'Dwyer, suggested dealing with the matter "at Local Community Development Commitee (LCDC) level", as she sits on the LCDC.

The author of the report, a KCC representative, reiterated to the members that it is "not a KCC-core function" to secure a location and / or explore location options for a Jigsaw Clinic. They also reiterated that it would be a core function of the HSE [and the Department of Health].

Furthermore, the KCC rep said that they agreed with Cllr O'Dwyer's suggestion.

After a brief discussion, it was agreed that Cllr O'Dwyer would refer the matter to the LCDC.

Further information about Jigsaw can be found on the charity's official website.

The joint motion was submitted by Fianna Fáil Cllrs Noel Heavey (LEFT) and Rob Power (RIGHT). Photograph credit for Cllr Heavey: Martin Connelly. Photograph credit for Cllr Power: File photograph

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Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.