Frank Feighan (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses for their attendance. I wish to put on the record my thanks for their great work and service in a difficult area. Sometimes it can go without saying, but I thank them once again.

The Ombudsman for Children report entitled Nowhere to Turn states the interagency working between the HSE and Tusla remains a problem in some areas and with regard to children being left in hospitals because parents cannot provide the care they need in the home. Local disabilities managers stated, "...in some areas, the HSE does not see it as its role to provide residential care to children and that there is still conflict/no agreement between it and Tusla over which agency should fund these placements”. Can Tusla and the HSE discuss their roles and responsibilities with regard to these children and why the service gap exists? Is there an instance of child protection or disability provision? When did this issue come to attention of the agency? How many children with disabilities have been left by their parents in hospitals, respite centres or schools and how is it being monitored?

In the annual plan, Tusla notes, with regard to joint working with the HSE, issues in the executive's ability to identify appropriate funding in some CHOs have persisted. Can Tusla and the HSE discuss this further and the funding needed to eliminate this happening? Finally, is this a failure of the joint protocol for interagency collaboration between HSE and Tusla?

A lack of sharing good practice across CHOs was highlighted at last week’s public meeting that was supporting inequity in service provision. Can the witnesses discuss how they are sharing good practice across these services and the further measures needed in this regard?

It was also highlighted at that meeting that children with autism are being discriminated when they are refused access to CAMHS. These children have no assessment and end up on CAMHS waiting lists. CAMHS feels it cannot deal with autism, but it has the expertise. Can the HSE discuss this and the variance where some CAMHS are providing services for children with autism and others are not? How can services be improved to provide equal access for children with autism?