'It's still not enough' Laois family resource centre manager reacts to €10,000 'surprise'

A grant of €10,000 to give mental health counselling support to Laois teenagers in a local resource centre is welcome but falls far short of what is needed, according to its manager.

Mountmellick Youth and Family Resource Centre is to receive €10,000 from the Government's Dormant Account Fund, in an announcement made earlier this week.

Based in the MDA, the busy centre offers many supports to families, children, groups and also gives counselling for children under pressure.

Mike Farrell, the centre's manager has welcomed the money but he told the Leinster Express / Laois Live that it will not last long.

“It was a very welcome surprise, It will last for about four months, but it is money well spent. We were at the stage where we were down to our last few euros for counselling and therapy. We couldn’t refer any new young people. Now we can send referrals for them.

“But it’s still not enough to run our therapy service on an annual basis. It costs €27,000 minimum to run the therapeutic side of the organisation. I applied to the Dormant Account fund and got approved for €10,000. Strategically FRCs need sustainable funding so we know where we are going each year," Mr Farrell said.

He describes the help that counselling offers to young people in Mountmellick.

“The main issue is a massive increase in the level of anxiety, a hangover from Covid. They have a lack of social skills and feel isolated and lonely, because they were less able to go out together in groups. They experience trauma as a result. 15% even have developmental delays. When they are transitioning from school to college, they are not as able to adjust.

“We can offer them a therapeutic intervention where they can unpack their feelings. Then we have youth groups where they can put their new skills into practice. We work closely with schools so they get supported there too.

“It’s a wraparound service. It’s like scaffolding around young people and their families. For example if someone is experiencing suicidal ideation, they need support, but it impacts on their families, they experience trauma around it so they receive support in a different room with a therapist so they can support their child after. Outcomes are more positive, it’s all money well spent.

“I will continue to look for other funding streams. A lot of my time is spent applying for funding, but I have a great team around me,” Mr Farrell said.

Mountmellick was chosen to get a Family Resource Centre in 2018 as well as DEIS status and funding for local schools, because of its lower income levels, with higher unemployment levels and more single parent families in the town.  The mission of all such centres is to identify needs of families and children living in the area, which supports their personal, social, educational, cultural and economic development.

“It’s important that this service is based in rural towns like Mountmellick. There’s a lot of services in Portlaoise but to have them in walking distance of homes removes barriers. Pobal try to put the centres into communities. It is so that everyone gets a chance to start at the starting line. A lot of people are yards behind that line,” Mr Farrell said.