Technical Report - Donegal Traveller's Project

All Ireland Traveller Health StudyExisting Traveller Structures That Played a Critical Rolein the StudyTraveller Community Development ProjectsThe approximately 20 Traveller Community Development Projects, located around the countryfacilitated access by the study team to additional Traveller Peer Researchers and coordinators asrequired. This need was particularly acute in areas where there was no existing Primary Healthcare forTraveller Projects (PHCTP).Traveller Training CentresThere are 40 Traveller Training Centres (TTCs) in ROI, who operate under the network of the NationalAssociation of Travellers’ Centres (NATC). The NATC provided access both to facilitate questionnairecompletion and to potential Peer Researchers and coordinators. Again, this latter function was mostimportant in areas where there was no Traveller infrastructure or PHCTP to liaise with the study team.A range of national, regional and local Traveller health structures has been developed since 1995. Thesestructures played a critical role in the study. A schematic diagram in Figure 7 outlines these structures.Figure 7: Traveller Health StructuresNational Traveller Health NetworkNational Traveller HealthAdvisory CommitteeTraveller Regional Health NetworkTraveller Health UnitPrimary Healthcare forTravellers Projects (x40)LHO Level Area TravellerHealth CommitteeSource: Pavee Point34National Traveller Health Advisory CommitteeMany of the structures in place to manage Traveller health issues have their origin in the Report ofthe Task Force on the Traveller Community (1995). The Task Force recommended the establishmentof a Traveller Health Advisory Committee and Traveller Health Units (THU) in each health board (nowHSE area). In 1998, a Travellers Health Advisory Committee (THAC) was set up. The committee isrepresentative of the DoHC, the HSE and the National Traveller organisations, i.e. Pavee Point, IrishTraveller Movement and the Traveller Women’s Forum.