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As Chairperson of the Catholic Institute for Deaf People (CIDP) I am pleased to present this statement together with the accounts of CIDP for the year ending 31st of December 2010. This year saw considerable progress in the implementation of the strategic plan agreed by the Board of CIDP in 2008 and reaffirmed at the Strategy day in September 2010. The main areas I wish to reflect on in this annual statement are financial matters, the relationship of CIDP with the Deaf community, policy development issues, the proposed amalgamation of St. Joseph’s and St. Mary’s schools, chaplaincy services, residential services and the Village Project.
At a time of tremendous uncertainty in terms of the finances of our country and our own individual finances it is appropriate therefore to begin this report by reflecting on the financial situation of CIDP. Given that CIDP had sold one of its key assets at a time when the property market was performing well, the finances of CIDP at year end 2010 are stable from a capital perspective with a positive cash position of circa €14.5 million. Given that CIDP has allocated €10 million of these funds for Phase one of the Village Project, €2 million for Phases two and three and €1.5 million for use in the field of Education, the situation is not as strong as it would seem at first glance. The situation has been somewhat alleviated by the allocation by government of a grant of €3 million towards Phase one of the Village Project which is available in 2011 and the planned sale of other property owned by CIDP. Also the tender price for Phase one of the Village Project has come in lower than anticipated, enabling CIDP fully deliver Phase one of the Project (€15 million) leaving the required assets available to begin planning for Phases two and three.
On the current operational cashflow side the reduction by the HSE of 5.5% in its funding for St. Joseph’s and St. Mary’s residences and 6% in St. Joseph’s Brewery road residence for vulnerable adults has raised significant concerns for CIDP. This is especially so given that the areas of operational funding open to CIDP in the past i.e. deposit interest and rents will be significantly reduced by the end of 2012 once Phase one of the Village project is completed. CIDP dealt with this in 2010 by rationalising and restructuring some of the services it offers in the three residences. The financial situation in St. Joseph’s Brewery road is the most serious with a significant funding problem which predated the HSE cuts. If this matter is not dealt with via an increase in funding or continued significant restructuring then CIDP will not be in a position to continue to deficit fund this operation post 2012.
From a financial perspective the CIDP accounts for 2010 are expressed in terms of its three residential units and CIDP itself as a provider of services to all three, together with its roles in relation to the Village Project, the management of St. Vincent’s Centre, the coordination of the Chaplaincy service, and its trusteeship of St. Joseph’s and St. Mary’s schools in Cabra. The two Cabra schools accounts are prepared by their own Boards of Management and relate to the year ended 30th June 10, while the three residences and the CIDP accounts are related to the year ended 31st December 10. The accounts have been prepared by the CIDP financial team under the management of Mr. Bernard McGlade and have been audited by Robert J. Kidney and Co.
In St. Joseph’s House Brewery road the total expenditure was €2,016 million and total income was €1,796 million leaving a deficit for the year of €220,612. The balance sheet shows that loans from CIDP have to date funded St. Joseph’s to the extent of €424,163 since 2005. In St. Mary’s residence for Deaf Girls total expenditure was €1,409 million while income was €1,389 million resulting in a deficit for the year of €19,374. In St. Joseph’s Residence for Deaf Boys income was €2,144 million and expenditure was €2,136 million leaving an operational surplus of €8,157. As mentioned earlier the considerable deficit which still remains in St. Joseph’s House Brewery road was compounded by the 6% cut in HSE funding in 2010. This savage cut was initiated with no consultation and introduced retrospectively by the HSE posing significant difficulties for CIDP.
The CIDP operational accounts show an income of €933,405 and expenditure of €841,087. In 2009 the expenditure on the Village Project to bring the project to the completion of planning permission stage has been capitalised and is not shown in the income and expenditure accounts. In 2009 this expenditure amounted to €407,000 and in 2010 (to bring the Project to the tender stage) amounted to a further €827,000 bringing the total to end of 2010 to €1.234 million.
In relation to the 2010 Chaplaincy accounts the service provided operated at a loss of €64,902 which CIDP has had to fund. The Chaplaincy accounts are expressed as part of the CIDP accounts. The National Bishops Conference and the Archdiocese of Dublin increased their financial support to the Chaplaincy service in 2010 in the context of CIDP experiencing substantial deficits in 2007 and 2008 relating to the cost of operating the Chaplaincy service. The deficit continues in 2010 and will need to be dealt with by the end of 2011. Unless the National Bishops Conference is able to support the Chaplaincy service then the service will have to be curtailed.
The relationship between CIDP and the Deaf community continued to develop in a positive direction with the appointment of two new Directors from the Deaf community to the CIDP Board, the formal dialogue meetings with the Deaf community in January 2010 and the important meetings with Hansel Bauman the architect from Gallaudet University in Washington regarding the development and design of the Deaf Village. This latter initiative was especially important and saw Hansel conducting three design workshops in August 2010 with the Deaf community to ensure that best practice in Deaf design was being used in the development of the Deaf Village. These were exciting meetings at which there was great learning for CIDP and the Project Development Team. An important knock on effect of this intervention was the use by the National Disability Authority of the work of Hansel Bauman in the production of national best practice guidelines in the design of buildings for people with disabilities. The Dialogue meetings with all the Deaf organisations at which the issues from the past and present causing concern were set out and discussed, has resulted in the development of a more understanding relationship between all organisations.
Also of considerable importance in the development of the relationship with the Deaf community and CIDP was the initiation of the Management Company Committee. This Committee was set up in 2010 to design and develop the structures of a company which would govern and manage the Deaf Village. The main Deaf organisations were initially invited to participate in this Committee which was facilitated by an independent facilitator from Community Action Network. The Committee reported to the Deaf community in mid 2010 on its progress and invited the remaining Deaf organisations to participate in the meetings which they did. The Committee has gone ahead now to design draft Memorandum and Articles of Association which are under discussion.
From the perspective of policy development CIDP, DeafHear.ie, the Irish Deaf Society and Trinity College Centre for Deaf Studies continued to work on the implementation of the agreed policy paper on Education. The organisations have formed the Education Partnership group which met with the Minister for Education, the Visiting Teacher Service, the Teaching Council, the National Council for Special Education and the Special Education Support Services. These meetings were all focused on encouraging the various bodies to implement a new policy in relation to Deaf education which would respect the uniqueness of Deaf education and would emphasise the importance of communication and cognitive development for Deaf children. CIDP also took the initiative to research the possibility of ISL being formally recognised either via a constitutional amendment or via a protocol emanating from the Good Friday Agreement. CIDP employed a leading constitutional lawyer to conduct the research which was completed in late 2010 and discussed with the IDS and DeafHear.ie. The IDS as the key representative body for the Deaf community will now discuss this internally and take it formally to the next level. There is currently an open door in relation to this matter given that the recognition of ISL has featured in the programme for government of the recently elected coalition and there is a commitment to holding a constitutional referendum in 2011.
The proposed amalgamation of St. Joseph’s and St. Mary’s schools is progressing in consultation with all the stakeholders. The Amalgamation Steering Committee, whose brief it is to design an educational modal for any newly amalgamated school has been working on the possible amalgamation since September 09. While the proposal was largely completed in 2010 more work is now required in relation to the location of any newly amalgamated school(s) and a final proposal is expected to be sent to the CIDP Board in late 2011.
Last September the National Chaplaincy was able to provide pastoral placements for eight seminarians from Maynooth College. The Chaplaincy liaised with staff members in Maynooth and with members of the Deaf Community to establish the desired learning from the placement. The seminarians from the dioceses of Killaloe, Armagh, Kilmore, Galway, Meath and Dublin received Irish Sign Language classes given by two qualified teachers (members of the Deaf Community) and one of the chaplains until May of 2011. The contact with Maynooth has been most beneficial in developing the awareness among the students and staff of issues related to involving Deaf people in the life of the Church.
Another exciting development for the chaplaincy has been the planning and preparation for World Youth Day taking place in Madrid in August 2011. Thirty one young members of the Deaf Community will be travelling with two of the Chaplaincy team to take part in this festival of faith. Over one thousand Deaf young people are travelling from all over Ireland. The counties represented are Antrim, Cork, Derry, Dublin, Galway, Kildare, Leitrim, Mayo, Meath, Monaghan, Waterford and Wicklow. This project is been part funded by the financial support of individual members of Deaf Community who attend weekly mass in the Chaplaincy in Dublin and CIDP. This has provided the Chaplaincy team with the opportunity to meet and evangelise a group of the community not often seen at religious events. Some of these young people will take part in the national Eucharistic Congress in Knock in June 2012. In more general terms the Chaplains have been involved in preparing for the celebration of the liturgical events, seasons, feasts and the many special family and personal events with the Deaf Community and with the wider Church Community. People have been facilitated and included in Diocesan liturgies here in Dublin, Belfast and Cork and four members of the Chaplaincy Team have provided interpreting services in various dioceses. Much work has been undertaken by the Chaplains with the students and staff in the Cabra schools in Dublin and mainstream and specialist schools in Northern Ireland and in Cork and Kerry. Retreats were also held for members of the Deaf Community nationally here in Dublin and in Belfast in preparation for Easter. A National two day pilgrimage to Knock also took place with Deaf People from six dioceses participating in the various pilgrim exercises as a group and joining in the liturgy celebrated in the Basilica. Finally I am pleased to report that significant progress was made on the Deaf Village Project during 2010. Much time was given to consulting with the various Deaf organisations on the design of the buildings internally and externally, the overall master plan and critically the associated annual costs to be paid by each organisation who agreed to take office space in the Village. All of the above left the Project Development Committee in a position to apply for planning permission which was granted in early 2010. The Project Development Committee then brought the Project to the tender stage. A request for tender document was produced and five companies submitted competitive tenders by the end of 2010. In early 2011 the decision to award the contract to John Sisk and Sons Limited was taken and work began on the development in mid 2011.
As I complete his statement I wish to thank my colleagues on the Board of CIDP who voluntarily contributed so much of their time at Board and Committee meetings in 2010. Also the CEO and his staff who have developed new structures for CIDP and have represented the values of CIDP very well especially in the development of the Deaf Village Project.
