Minister for Health, Dr. James Reilly, TD is visiting Jigsaw Donegal in Letterkenny this morning as part of his itinerary in the North West today.
The Jigsaw service provides a safe and confidential space where young people can access a wide range of mental health supports for free and is located at Pearse Road, Letterkenny (across from the community centre).
The Jigsaw service works with young people aged from 15-25. Jigsaw’s main aim is to enable young people to access the most appropriate services in as seamless a way as possible, whatever their level of need.
The Jigsaw programme was designed by Headstrong and its panel of youth advisors and is an evidence based, integrated service, designed to strengthen a community’s capacity to support young people’s mental health. It works on a partnership model of pulling together and aligning all existing resources and expertise in any given community.
Minister Reilly will meet with Mr John Hayes, Area Health Manager, HSE; Dr Tony Bates, Founding Director of Headstrong; Ms Anne Sheridan, Mental Health Promotion Officer, HSE; Sean Mc Grory, Project Manager, Jigsaw Donegal and Dr Maura Finnegan, Clinical Coordinator of Jigsaw Donegal.
Jigsaw Donegal is a new way of understanding and working with young people. Patrick Matthews (18) of the Jigsaw Donegal, Youth Advisory Panel will brief the Minister on how young people guided the process of bringing Jigsaw to Donegal from its inception to opening in October 2012.
Speaking about the Minister’s visit to Jigsaw Donegal, Mr John Hayes, Area Manager, with the HSE said “Jigsaw Donegal is leading the way nationally in how we respond to youth mental health. Jigsaw is a resource that every community needs but not every community gets. Our mission is to transform the landscape in Donegal in terms of how we understand, talk about and support young people with mental health needs.
“We do this by providing early and brief intervention for young people with mental health vulnerabilities. We provide training to other professionals in Donegal who work with young people and we’re constantly tackling stigma through our public awareness and schools programme”
“We are on the verge of changing how services are delivered to support young people’s mental health. 75% of mental health difficulties arise before the age of 24. (Kessler et al)”. And he added “this is a critical period in their development, if we can identify issues as they emerge then research tells us that early and brief intervention prevents people from experiencing lifetimes of pain and lost opportunities. ”
“In difficult times we need to innovate and come forward with novel and effective solutions” Mr Hayes said. “We’re proud of what we have achieved and Minister Reilly’s visit provides the perfect opportunity to show how Jigsaw complements the work we are doing in developing Community Based Mental Health Teams. By joining up with the existing local resources, we are re-configuring services to make them more accessible and youth friendly. Jigsaw clearly demonstrates that it is possible to reduce stigma, remove barriers and design a service that works for young people. We listen carefully to their ideas and real feedback so that we can provide a better more effective service”, he concluded.
TURBULENT
“Adolescence can be a turbulent time and the system is weakest where it needs to be strongest”, according to Dr Tony Bates, Founding Director of Headstrong. “Jigsaw Donegal has been a real team effort. We are now seeing many key agencies working in genuine partnership to improve services and supports for young people. If we are to achieve meaningful change for young people and their mental health we must work together more effectively. In its absence we will continue to fail our young people”
“Ireland in 2013 is a much tougher, trickier place to grow up in particularly for a young person with a mental health vulnerability. This is a hopeful step in the right direction. And it’s different because it involves grassroot community supports combined with professionals informed by the end users – young people themselves. This is the start of our journey in Donegal and ensures that by 2016 every young person will have somewhere to turn to and someone to talk to.” Dr Bates thanked Minister Reilly for making time to see Jigsaw Donegal in action. “When Dr. Reilly meets the dynamic team behind Jigsaw DonegaI and listens to the difference Jigsaw makes to the lives of young people, we think he will be moved and see why it is the best way forward for youth mental health.”
Jigsaw will employ seven staff including Sean Mc Grory Project Manager, Maura Finnegan Clinical Co-Ordinator, Christina Greene and Jennifer Mc Lean Clinical Support Workers, Ciara Doyle Youth Drug and Alcohol Worker, Karen Duggan Administration Officer and Gary Cassidy Youth Engagement Facilitator.
Young people/parents/health professionals can refer to the service by calling or emailing to make an appointment.
Opening hours are:
For those with prearranged appointments the service is open Monday- Friday 9am – 5pm.
Drop-in Hours:
Monday: 4pm – 6pm
Tuesday: 4pm – 6pm
Wednesday: 4pm – 6pm
Thursday: 4pm – 8pm
The Last Saturday of the Month 10.30am – 3pm
Contact Information:
Address: Jigsaw Donegal, Pearse Street, Letterkenny
Email: Donegal@jigsaw.ie
Tel: 074 97 26920
Web: http://www.jigsaw.ie/donegal