Dormant Accounts Fund
Fact Sheet
Measure 6 Achieving HIQA Standards for Residential Centres for People with Disabilities
Purpose of the
Dormant
Accounts
Fund
The fund is administered under the 2001 Dormant Accounts Act, together with the
Unclaimed Life Assurance Policies Act 2003 and the Dormant Accounts
(Amendment) Acts 2005, 2012 and is under the statutory functions of the Minister of
the Environment, Community and Local Government with effect from the 1st January
2013.
Monies may be disbursed in accordance with the Part 6 of the 2012 Act, only for the
purposes of programmes or projects to assist
1) The personal and social development of persons who are economically or
socially disadvantaged
2) The educational development of persons who are educationally
disadvantaged or
3) Persons with a disability
Total Budget
available for
allocation to
successful
applicants
Overview
€480,000
People with disabilities, both adults and children, have the right to be safe, to
receive person centred, high quality services and supports and to have access to
services they need in order to maximise independence and choice and enable them
to lead a fulfilling life. This basic right is fundamental to their wellbeing and healthy
development.
The Programme for Government committed to putting National Standards for
Residential Services for People with Disabilities on a statutory footing, to ensure that
the services could be inspected by the Health Information and Quality Authority
(HIQA).This commitment was fulfilled when two regulations, one relating to care and
support and the second relating to registration issues, were enacted and
commenced on 1st November 2013. There is an onus on all providers of residential
and residential respite services for children and adults with disabilities to register
with HIQA
Compliance with HIQA standards is a requirement under the Service Level
Arrangements between the HSE and voluntary service providers.
HIQA monitors and inspects all residential services for children and adults with
disabilities, including residential respite services, provided by Health Service
Executive (HSE), private organisations and voluntary groups. HIQA has developed
guidelines for residential services to help improve the quality and safety of health
and social care in Ireland. HIQAs inspection programme is being rolled out across
the country.
Funding is now being made available through the Dormant Accounts Fund to
designated centres for Children with Disabilities to apply for urgent minor
capital works and /or equipment. (Sub Measure 6a) Minor capital works include
items such as replacement or upgrade of equipment; priority building adaption and
disability modifications; urgent repairs which have been highlighted by a HIQA
inspection, items which will assist them in meeting the objectives of providing Safe
and Suitable premises and Safeguarding and ensuring the Safety of its residents.
For minor capital work proposals, applicants will be expected to provide cofunding of a minimum of 50% of the total cost of the capital investment. Cofunding must be in the form of cash, a grant offer from another funding body and
verifiable at the time of application.
National Training Initiatives (Sub Measure 6b) are sought which will be targeted
at supporting designated centres in raising awareness and up-skilling their staff and
management of their responsibilities and standards in the area of “safeguarding and
safety of residents” and the implementation of the “HSE’s policy and procedures on
Safeguarding Vulnerable Persons at Risk from Abuse”. Training can also involve
supporting and ensuring good “Governance and Management” arrangements are in
place in each centre. All training initiatives must clearly demonstrate how the
training will be put in place and monitored and evaluated post completion of the
course or training programme.
Applicants can apply for either Sub Measure 6a or Sub Measure 6b
Who is eligible For minor capital works and/equipment (Sub Measure 6a)
Residential Centres for Children who have registered with HIQA at the
to apply?
time of application and have been inspected by HIQA
Who is not
eligible to
apply?
For the National Training Initiatives (Sub Measure 6b) the following
organisations are eligible to apply: Statutory Bodies- HSE
 Non-Statutory Bodies – organisations funded under Sections 38 and 39 of
the Health Act 2004
 Community Organisations with a Legal Structure
 Training Providers
 Individuals
 For Profit Organisations
 Organisations that do not have a separate legal status
More specifically the following applies depending on whether you are applying for a
capital and/ equipment grant OR a training grant.
For Capital Applications (Sub Measure 6a)
 Disability Centres for Children that have not registered with HIQA at the
time of application
 Adult Only Disability Centres are not eligible to apply for the capital minor
works
 Disability Centres that have received a registration certificate from HIQA
 For Profit Organisations
Measure
Priorities
For National Training Initiatives (Sub Measure 6b) the following organisations
are not eligible to apply:
 For Profit Organisations
 Disability Centres that have received a registration certificate from HIQA
Measure 6a: Minor Capital Works for designated centres for Children:Repairs or equipment which is clearly agreed is urgent and essential as outlined in
the HIQA Inspection Report Action Plan or will be part of the Report once complete
Measure 6b: Training
Applications are invited from not–for-profit national organisations & training
providers and those with a partnership approach will be prioritised partnerships
between a statutory and non-statutory service providers or organisations
representing persons with disabilities.
All Proposals must be additional to their organisation’s core, work and activities,
and funding must not be requested as a substitute for mainstream government
funding. This is funding for once off initiatives and distinct pieces of work
Indicative
Eligible
Actions or
Activities
1.
Minor urgent and essential capital works which will assist a registered
designated centre for children with Disabilities to achieve the national quality
standards in the provision of “Safe services”. The capital works applied for
must be those highlighted by a HIQA inspection and are in the process of being
included in an agreed action plan or is contained in the published agreed action
plan.
Works must also be directly related to the following specific theme within the
National Standards:-

Safe Services- how residential services protect children and promote their
welfare. Safe services also avoid, prevent and minimise harm and learn from
things when they go wrong.
Examples: Improving the physical environment of the centres in terms of urgent structural
works or decorative repair to meet the specific needs of the residents
 Improving, repairing or replacing heating, ventilation and lighting systems to
ensure they comply with standard requirements
 Purchase or replacement of equipment necessary to ensure the safety and
improve the quality of life for residents
 Upgrade or replacement of safety equipment for vehicles to ensure the safety
of people with disabilities (adults and children)
2. National Training Initiatives
Training initiatives applied for must be directly related to the one or both of the
following specific themes within the National Standards: Safe Services
 Leadership, Governance and Management
In delivering safe services, centres must ensure that:- Individual staff training needs are appropriately assessed and training or
access to accredited training provided
- Staff are provided with access to the relevant specialist advice and support
to ensure safe services
-
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Appropriate training in respect of the implementation of policies and
procedures related to the safety and care of adults and or children with
disabilities
An action plan for the implementation and monitoring and evaluation of
training must be in place
Ensuring families and relatives or those representing a person or child with a
disability are aware of the National Standards and promotion of personcentred care.
All training initiatives must be based on an up to date training needs analysis,
clearly demonstrating how the training will be implemented and will contribute
to improving the services within the Centres. Therefore all proposals must
include a robust monitoring and evaluation framework and implementation
plan. Successful applicants will be expected to report on findings and cooperate with any external evaluation commissioned by the Department and/or
the Funder.
By “National” we mean engage with designated residential centres across the 9
Community Health Office areas.
Examples of Training Initiatives: Training for staff to meet HIQA standards for residential centres will be
prioritised with a special emphasis on National Standards for safeguarding and
safety, residents rights dignity and consultation, health and safety and risk
management, medication management and social care needs
 Provision of training for managers/person/(s) in charge to ensure they are fully
aware of their roles and responsibilities in relation to the National Standards,
have clear accountability and are fully aware of the policies and procedures that
must be followed at all times
 Train the trainers initiative that could share best practice across different
designated centres under the same Service Provider and across service
providers
 Area based initiatives which provide a series of seminars or workshops
disseminated information on the key aspects of National Standards and
Disability Regulations
Measure Level
Indicative
Outputs and
Outcomes
Under each Measure of the Dormant Accounts Fund an indicative list of potential
Measure Level outputs and outcomes have been identified. All project proposals
are expected to identify potential outputs and outcomes which will be achievable
during the grant period and will be reported on at the end of the project. In
identifying what positive changes that may occur as a result of your project proposal
it is anticipated that you would consider the indicative list below and identify how
your project proposal may contribute to the achievement of one or more of these.
Outputs:
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Specific
requirements
of applicants
under this
Measure
What is the
maximum
period of time
Number of training/workshop courses;
Number of participating organisations in training/workshops;
Number of persons attending training/workshops;
Number of grants awarded capital/training;
Number of minor works undertaken in 2015;
Number of minor works completed in 2015
Outcomes:
 Number of centres achieving HIQA standards within the year as a result of
funding
 Numbers making changes to service as a result of training
a) Capital improvements and training initiatives must be compliant and with the
National Standards for Residential Services for Children and Adults with
Disabilities – Health Information and Quality Authority 2013 and be included
in the published action plan post an inspection or be in the process of being
finally agreed post an HIQA inspection.
b) All applicants must clearly demonstrate that the funding requested is
essential and their project proposal cannot be funded from any other
sources,
c) Specifically in relation to Minor Building Proposals, new and
refurbishment, the following requirements will apply:d) All applicants applying for capital works must provide evidence of cofunding of at least 50% of the total project costs
e) where planning permission is required, evidence of planning permission or
planning permission applied for (planning ref number & expected decision
date)
f) declaration in respect of ownership on the application form
g) If you are not the owner of the building submit copy of the current lease or
management agreement
h) if the applicant is not the owner a letter of permission from the owner in
respect of the proposal building changes must
i) the % of Professional fees associated directly with the build/refurbishment
are capped 10% of the total project costs i.e. Architect, Valuation, BER
j) In relation to National Training Initiatives applicants must demonstrate that
they can meet the programme monitoring requirements. They also must
demonstrate that they have sufficient systems and protocols in place to
ensure that personal client privacy is protected. Information that may pass to
the promoter may include personal data and possible could include sensitive
personal data, as defined in the Data Protection Acts 1988 and 2003.
k) Successful applicants must ensure that any publicity documentation or press
release or similar announcement should include acknowledgement of the
source of the funding i.e. the Department of the Environment, Community
and Local Government (DECLG), Department of Health (DoH) and the
Programme, the Dormant Accounts Fund 2015
12 months
Successful applicants will be required to enter into a grant agreement no later than
24th December 2015. Grant Agreements will have a maximum end date of the 31st
December 2016
for a project
proposal
How much can Minor Urgent Capital Works (Sub-Measure 6(a))
I apply for
The maximum grant that can be sought: €40,000
The minimum grant that can be sought: €20,000
Training (Sub- Measure 6 (b)
The maximum grant that can be sought: €20,000
The minimum grant that can be sought: €50,000
It is anticipated that approximately
 10-12 Minor Capital works will be approved for funding
 2-4 Training Initiatives will be approved for funding
How many
successful
applications
are there likely
to be?
Eligible Costs List of Indicative Eligible Costs
Minor Capital Works/Equipment (Sub Measure 6a) examples: Small Specialised Equipment Costs
 Repairs to equipment
 General Building Repairs/Modifications
 Architect & Engineer Fees, Valuation & BER fees associated directly with the
Building Costs capped at 10% of total project cost
Training Initiatives(Sub Measure 6b) examples: Tutors/Facilitators fees
 Venue / Room Hire,
 Course /Training Materials
 Accreditation fees
All cost included in applications must relate directly to the implementation of the
project proposal and clearly verifiable.
Ineligible
costs
Relevant,
Acts, Policies
and Reports
List of Indicative ineligible Costs
 Minor Capital Works Applications (sub measure 6a); organisation core costs,
including salaries are not eligible
 Retrospective Costs – activities/repairs that has already been undertaken
prior to the date of the project
 Costs for actions for which more appropriate funding opportunities already
exist
 Organisation Core Costs, including salary and overheads which are not as a
direct result of the implementation of the DAF project
 Redundancy costs
 Penalties/Interest
 Costs not directly related to the project
 The Dormant Accounts Act 2001
 The Unclaimed Life Assurance Policies Act 2003
 The Dormant Accounts (Amendment) Acts 2005 to 2012
 Public Procurement Guidelines – Competitive Process 22-11-2010
 National Standards for Residential Services for Children and Adults with
Disabilities – HIQA 2013
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Department of Health’s National Standards for Children’s Residential Centres
(2001) for children in care of the State, under the Child Care Act, 1991
Building Regulations, Technical Guide Document, Access and Use (2010)
Council of Europe Recommendation Rec(2006)5 of the committee of ministers
to member states on the Council of Europe Action Plan to promote the rights
and full participation of people with disabilities in society: improving the quality of
life of people with disabilities in Europe 2006-2015: Strasbourg: Council of
Europe; 2006
The Health Act 2007, Section 46(1), any person carrying on the business of a
residential service and/or a residential respite service within a designated centre
can only do so if the centre is registered under the Act and this person is a
registered provider.
Health Act 2007(Registration of Designated Centres for Persons (Children and
Adults with Disabilities) Regulations
S.I. No 366 of 2013.
Health Act 2007(Care and Support of Residents of Designated Centres for
Persons (Children and Adults with Disabilities) Regulations
S.I. No 367 of 2013.
The guidance on what constitutes a designated centre for people with
disabilities, HIQA, October 2013
Safeguarding Vulnerable Persons at Risk of Abuse, National Policy and
Procedures (HSE)
Data Protection (Amendment) Act 2003 - Data Protection Act 1988 and the Data
Protection (Amendment) Act 2003.