The Mobile Support Team was set-up to assist disability activists around the country in establishing their own ‘Center for Independent Living’ and in managing a Personal Assistants Work Project. The aim of the Team is to allow local disability activists to benefit from the experience CIL has gained over the years in managing and administrating FAS CE schemes, in providing training for Personal Assistants and leaders and in developing action-research projects. We act as the liaison between local people with a disability, FAS Employment Services Officers and CIL as sponsors.
We will be working with the staff of ILCS to support each Center in making the transition from initial development to full local operation and management. The Mobile Support Team provides support to centres in the initial stages of development. We assist local people with a disability in establishing their CE scheme, in learning how to meet FAS administrative requirements during the first year of their project and in forming a local management committee which will gradually assume responsibility for the project. ILCS provide continuing support to schemes which have progressed beyond the initial stage of development.
The bulk of the work the team was involved in last year, focused on setting up schemes in Cavan, Carlow, Leitrim, Roscommon, Sligo, Wexford, Wicklow and Cork. In the coming year we would like to focus on establishing schemes in the remaining counties, providing greater action-research support to projects and supporting existing schemes in making the transition to greater local management.
At present, there are three of us working on the Team; Tara O’Brien as Team Manager, Karina Kelly as Research Facilitator and Patricia McAnn as Administrator (Patricia looks after all the Materials and Wages claim forms we receive). We are looking for a Development Officer to replace Rosaleen Doherty, who is now working as PA Training Co-ordinator with ILCS, and a second Administrator to replace Sarah Evans, who has started a new job with a multi-media company. The Team looks forward to working with new and existing Centers in the coming year.
We hope that this description goes some way toward telling people who we are and what we do. If you would like to talk with us we will be happy to hear from you, we work from CIL’s Bolton St. office and can be contacted at 01-8722277 between 9.30 a.m. and 1.30 p.m.
In the meantime, we would like to wish everyone working around the country our very
best for the coming year!