Professor Malcolm MacLachlan:

What we are talking about here is a tiered approach to assessment. Very simply, that means the length of the assessment being undertaken should be matched to the complexity of the challenges the child is presenting with. Some people will present with challenges that are more easily identified so the priority is to get that person an intervention that can help them. Other people will present with much more complex challenges and a broader range of assessments will need to be undertaken to identify the intervention that will be most helpful. It is really important to say that if someone does not get an intervention after the preliminary team assessment but requires a further assessment, that is not in any shape or form a failure. The initial assessment may result in an intervention. It may also give the parents or the service user some reassurance, which is extremely important in this context. Parents are consulted by the initial assessment officer and people conducting preliminary team assessments and should be consulted throughout the process because not only are they key partners in assessment, they see the long-term implications of interventions. Some parents are extremely prepared for that and become co-therapists in terms of interventions while others have so many other demands on them that this is not realistic. HSE employees always want to collaborate closely with family members and parents but one must also judge where people are and whether they are ready to take on that sort of collaborative role themselves.