“Respite care is such an important support to families who are caring for children with additional needs. HSE Disability Services were delighted to have been allocated the additional funding required to progress the respite service at Rainbow Lodge,” according to Edel Quinn, Head of Service for Disability, HSE Community Services Cavan, Donegal, Leitrim, Monaghan, Sligo, speaking at the opening of the facility in Monaghan in recent weeks.

Performing the official opening, Minister of State for Disabilities, Anne Rabbitte, said she was “delighted to be here to officially open the Rainbow Lodge Children’s Respite Centre. In March 2024 funding was secured to progress a residential respite service for children in County Monaghan. I would like to express my thanks to the HSE Disability Services in Monaghan and the Talbot Group for delivering on their commitment to have the service opened in October 2024. Having met many parents from County Monaghan who had raised the issue of access to respite care with me, I know the service will provide much needed, and very welcome respite breaks for children and their families.”

Rainbow Lodge will operate seven days and nights per week, across 360 days of the year. It will offer up to 1,800 respite bed nights each year. The number of breaks offered to children and their families will vary depending on the assessed needs of each individual child.

The benefits of a respite break for children, parents and families are well established. Respite services allow parents and families to recharge and attend to other matters in their lives. At the same time, the child with the disability is given an opportunity to engage with other children and to participate in fun activities which increases the child’s well-being, social skills, confidence, and independence.

The Monaghan facility includes a studio-style apartment with a separate entrance, and a ground floor bedroom which is wheelchair-accessible. There is another wheelchair-accessible bedroom downstairs, while upstairs the property has three more bedrooms as well as a relaxation/play room. 

Expressing her delight, Dervila Eyres, HSE Integrated Healthcare Area Manager for Cavan and Monaghan, pointed to the importance for children with additional needs and their families to be “able to avail of local, accessible, respite breaks close to their homes in Monaghan. This is a welcome partnership with the Talbot Group.”

Laverne McGuinness, Chief Executive Officer, Talbot Group, added that “the Talbot Group is delighted to partner with the HSE in Monaghan in the provision of this new respite service for children at Rainbow Lodge. We look forward to welcoming many children and their families over the coming weeks and months, and also welcome the opportunities for integration into the wider community."