Ms Aoife O'Malley:

I will talk Deputy Donnelly through what a typical referral might look like and I will use the autism spectrum disorder, ASD, service in the south as an example in that regard. A parent might have concerns and maybe go to a primary care clinician, such as a GP or public health nurse, or go directly to the assessment officer in the HSE and highlight the child's needs. They might complete an assessment, essentially, a screening assessment, and there may be an indication of, say, autism. They will refer then into the autism service. Even referring through the assessment of need, AON, process, there is a two and a half year waiting list for the assessment of need to be completed. They will then be provided with the diagnosis, if that is the case, and the child will be put on a further waiting list for further assessment or intervention. The longer that waiting list is, the more in-depth and comprehensive that assessment will have to be, essentially, one is completing a reassessment of the child because things have changed over the period that one has been waiting. Then intervention can be provided.

If the SOP is to be introduced within this particular service and the parents highlight a need with the GP or the primary care clinician initially, he or she will say there is an possible indication here of ASD and will refer through the AON. Then there will be an assessment completed within six months. A further round of clinicians will say an ASD assessment might be indicated here and the child will have to go on the waiting list for diagnostic assessment, and then one has a further two and a half year waiting list.

One should note that the assessment of need process does not give a child any right to intervention whatsoever. It highlights the needs. One of the primary issues with the Disability Act in general is that it gives the right to assessment and identification of needs. It does not give the right to intervention and supports to be put in place.