Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I thank everyone for coming in today and for being willing to share their experiences and insights to help us understand this particular dimension of disability. It is very important for the committee. In all of our discussions with the committee - from healthcare, education and transport - families are always there in the background. Parents, siblings, relations and friends all of course play a valuable role in the life of people with disabilities. Then, when the State fails to provide the services that people and children with disabilities are entitled to, it falls to families to do what they can to sacrifice, to campaign, and fund raise, to pay for all of those things. While of course this is done with love and all of those things, the responsibility should not always fall on the shoulders of families. It is fair to say that we are all struck by the extent of the witnesses' work and the huge difference and impact they are making for families of children with a disabilities, and to consider that there is an urgent need for room for this to be extended to more families.

My first question is for ParentsPlus. In the opening statement, Ms Tyner explained how they hold parents in high esteem and recognise parents as the experts in their families and of their needs. The point stood out to me. From everything the parents have told me, this kind of foundational position is missing in many of the public services. Will ParentsPlus elaborate on why it is important and how it manifests in operational purposes? Ms Tyner outlined the success and challenges of working with CDNTs. We all recognise that they are understaffed. All of the members have parents and families coming to us who are at their wits' end in relation to waiting lists and understaffing and so on. Can ParentsPlus explain how these connections could be developed, and if there are varieties in different regions? What has been the experience from families this regard?

My next question is for Triple P. The scale and impact of Triple P's work is clear. Mr. Buttery has outlined how its programmes assist parents to encourage healthy behaviour and emotions in children with developmental disabilities. Will Mr. Buttery give us a sense of what it looks like practically? What are Triple P's recommendations to ensure that parent training is embedded in the current service and creates outcomes for children and their families?