Irish persons with intellectual disability moving from family care to residential accommodation in a period of austerity.

BACKGROUND: Ireland has a growing population of adult persons living with family carers, thereby increasing the demand for residential places. Simultaneously, government policy aimed to reprovision residents living in congregated settings but at a time when funding was curtailed due to the economic crisis. This study examines the movements of people into and among three types of residential options between 2009 and 2014.

METHOD: A cohort of 20,163 persons recorded on the National Intellectual Disability Database in 2009 was identified and tracked to the 2014 database.

RESULTS: An estimated 200 persons per annum (@1.6% of those living with families) moved from family care although the number of places available nationally fell by 9%. Moreover, transfers of existing residents into vacated places tended to exceed those from families.

CONCLUSIONS: More people will have to continue living with their families and for longer if funding for new places remains curtailed.