St John of God welcomes a number of measures announced in Budget 2027 that have the potential to make a meaningful difference to people with disabilities and their families.
Among the most significant commitments for disability services are the provision of 489 new residential care packages and 1,500 additional day service places, alongside a new €500 Cost of Disability Payment for approximately 238,000 people and the commitment to a co-design process that will shape a permanent payment from 2028. The budget also includes a €10 increase in weekly social welfare payments, benefiting people with disabilities and family carers.
The budget also commits to a 7% increase in mental health funding, with a particular focus on strengthening early intervention, crisis response and community-based supports. Key measures likely to impact on our Mental Health Services include:
- Increased investment in early intervention and crisis mental health services.
- Development of new ADHD care pathways.
- Expansion of Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS).
- Additional funding for targeted suicide prevention initiatives, including supports for the Traveller community.
- Investment in additional mental health inpatient capacity.
The Government’s commitment to invest €275.4 billion in infrastructure over the next decade, including investment in disability services, healthcare and community supports, is also a welcome signal of intent.
Budget 2027 contains a number of encouraging commitments for the disability and mental health sector. However, the focus must now move from announcement to implementation, ensuring that people with disabilities and their families experience real improvements in housing, support services, financial security and opportunities for inclusion in their communities. Families and service providers have heard ambitious commitments before and will rightly look for clear timelines, funding pathways and workforce plans to ensure that new residential supports and day service places are delivered to those who need them most. Crucially, people with lived experience, families and disability service providers must be meaningfully involved in shaping and delivering these measures so that future supports reflect real needs, achieve lasting impact and fulfil the promise of Budget 2027.
We look forward to engaging with the HSE, DECIDY and Department of Health to ensure the seamless implementation of the named changes.