Clare Mother Says She Can Finally Sleep As New Respite Centre Officially Opens

A Clare mother of a child with multiple intellectual disabilities says she can finally get a nights sleep following the opening a new respite centre. Children and Disabilties Minister Norma Foley travelled to Clare today to officially open Enable Ireland’s Hazeldine facility in Barefield The moment Minister Foley officially cut the ribbon at Hazeldine, the centre located on the outskirts of Ennis, will provide 1,400 nights of respite care to families across Clare, Limerick and North Tipperary every year. The facility itself a state of the art former B&B, which contains two sensory gardens, a sensory room, a self contained living apartment, three bedrooms and multiple accessible ensuite bathrooms. For the families at the heart of Enable Ireland's support services in Clare, today is a momentous occasion. Leanne Tracey's son Max has been using Hazeldine for the last three months. An Ennis mother meanwhile says the new centre will finally enable her to get at least one night's sleep a week. Janet Sheehy is a single parent caring for her eighteen year old son Conor who has autism and ADHD. Janet says it's a vital relief for her family. Between January and June, just 11% of children in Clare that required an initial assessment of needs were assessed in the HSE's targeted timeframe of six months. Minister Norma Foley says there's a lot more work to be done in Clare and it will be.