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Young Travellers at risk of suicide

Wednesday, 16 April 2008

More young Travellers in Tallaght are at risk of suicide due to a lack of funding for a local youth project, it was warned this week.
A Fianna Fáil TD has called on the Minister for Mental Health to honour a commitment of funding for the project that is aimed at combating youth suicide among Travellers on the Southside.
In 2006 Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children, Tim O’Malley, launched the research report ‘Moving beyond Coping’ - an insight into the experiences and needs of Travellers in dealing with suicide.
At the launch, Minister O’Malley promised the organisation responsible for the report – the Tallaght Travellers’ Youth Service – funding to implement the recommendations of the study.
However, to date the project has not received any financial assistance from the Department of Health and Children.
A coordinator of the Traveller Youth Service, Andrew Doogue, told Southside People that if funding was not forthcoming the project would have to close this week (Thursday, April 17).

The important research project set out to provide an insight into the experiences and needs of Travellers living in the Tallaght area in dealing with suicide.
It aimed to develop an understanding into how crisis situations impacted on their lives, the types of coping strategies people have developed and the means by which they try to move beyond coping through crisis after crisis.
Some 13 men (25 per cent) and 39 women (75 per cent) were interviewed.
The report stated: “While 19 interviewees had dealt with one or two male suicides, it is a key conclusion of the research that half of all interviewees had dealt with between three and six male suicides.
“A further five interviewees had been affected by over 10 suicides of male friends or family members. Twelve of the 39 female interviewees had been affected by at least one female suicide.”
The report also found that Travellers in the Tallaght area affected by suicide had a lack of mental health care professionals to turn to.
In terms of suicide prevention, those who took part in the study identified a desire to be provided with increased access to specialised services, including mental health services, drug and alcohol treatment, and social work services.
Mr Doogue said the project needed in the region of e50,000 to implement the recommendations in the report.
He said the money would be spent on providing counselling and support to Travellers suffering from stress and depression and on the relatives of those bereaved by suicide in the area.
“If we don’t get the money it effectively means that more Travellers will die by suicide in the area,” he warned.
“We were promised funding by Minister Tim O’Malley back in 2006 to implement the recommendations of the report.
“Ever since we have been bombarding the department with letters but we are just wasting our time. They keep telling us that they are looking at it.”
Mr Doogue added that research had shown over the last four years that the incidence of suicide among young Travellers in the area was significantly higher than the rate of suicide among the local settled population.
Deputy Charlie O’Connor (FF) organised a meeting with the current Minister of State with responsibility for mental health, Deputy Jimmy Devins, and Andrew Doogue last week to discuss the funding.
He has called on Minister Devins to honour the previous commitment made by Minister O’Malley in 2006.
“My clear view is that funding should be provided,” Deputy O’Connor said. “I have supported the project all the way. I was at a meeting and a press conference where the then Minister of State Tim O’Malley undertook to provide the funding.”
Deputy O’Connor said he has asked Minister Devins to look into the matter and to explore the possibilities of how funding for the project could be arranged.
“When Government ministers come to functions and make commitments I absolutely believe they should be honoured,” Deputy O’Connor added. “I am not taking any other position.
“Tim O’Malley made the commitment and it wasn’t honoured and now it has fallen on Minister Devins’ table. I have made it very clear to Minister Devins that funding should be provided.”
A spokesman at the Department of Health and Children said they had just received an application for funding for the project and added that they would be making a decision on the matter shortly.

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