Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I think it is important that this committee have some sort of input. We will have to consider that again.

We talked about early intervention. The Minister of State will know that when parents are told their child has autism or some other condition requiring supports, they find themselves in a haze because they do not know where to go. There is no pathway that they can follow. It is hard for them to get into the system. The information is very disjointed. There is no co-ordinator or caseworker to deal with them and walk them through every stage of what must be done. They are just told they will be referred to somebody else for an appointment. This has caused many problems and much anguish and stress for parents. Especially given the unknowns parents face, we should consider providing caseworkers that will bring them through the whole process and explain the reason for any slowdown in it. It is a matter of having a co-ordinator, caseworker or liaison person so parents will understand the process. Parents are often told things that go over their heads because they are so taken up by the fact that their child may have a special need. It is traumatic in its own right. It is important that we try to co-ordinate in this regard.

Let me refer to another area I find a little difficult. The recruitment process to replace somebody on maternity leave does not start until she is gone. This results in a gap. With a bit of planning, we could ensure replacements for those going on maternity leave or taking leave of absence are recruited in advance so as to have a smooth transition and a handover of cases to the person filling in. I find the gap frustrating. Maybe the Minister of State could consider tightening up how we manage these things. Parents find it very frustrating.

That is basically my commentary on the matter. I thank the Minister of State, my colleague from Galway. I thank Ms Breda Crehan–Roche and the other staff for the work they do, which I acknowledge.