Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, Independents 4 Change)
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I have been listening intently for the past hour and a half. As was said earlier on, in some ways I am probably more confused than I was when I came in. This probably reflects the frustration and confusion felt by these children and their families. I do not think that after this meeting, they will feel there is light at the end of the tunnel. Deputy Carroll MacNeill got to the crux of it, namely, staffing levels. If we do not have the staffing levels, we do not have the access. A parent who wants to get his or her child assessed and then referred to therapies and for other things he or she needs because of the effects of the disability, such as nappies and shoes, is looking at anything from 18 to 24 months. It has not really changed.

When I was elected in 2011, one of the first issues raised with me involved the CHOs. I would have referred to CHO 7 a lot. This involved phenomenal early intervention waiting lists that children outgrew. Many children were involved with St. John of God and other services. The CDNTs were supposed to be the start of a change in how children were assessed and parents supported. There was a lacuna for about three months for a lot of parents between the time when they lost their services at St. John of God, or whatever service provider they were with, and the time when they began to deal with the CDNTs. Many parents reported to me and other Deputies that they did not find those initial CDNT assessments very helpful. They were being referred to family supports, family forums and parents' support, all involving what parents can do to assist their children, rather than getting the direct service they needed such as speech and language therapy.

Professor MacLachlan said that the WHO has referred to it as a model that other countries should use. Unless we have the staffing levels, we will not be able to resolve this issue in the CDNTs, in the community or in the schools. There have been issues with therapists for the past 12 years. I heard the witnesses say the HSE has an international recruitment campaign but I have seen recruitment campaigns for mental health nurses and nurses in general for the state of Victoria in Australia all around the city. The whole world seems to be scrapping over staff to fill vacancies in these areas. I am at a loss and perhaps the witnesses can direct me. Why can we not have a drive in areas such as this? I know therapists have a right to go wherever they choose after graduating but we must target these services and open up graduate courses so more people can go into these services. We also need to keep them in the country through efforts in areas like wages and conditions. I know that is not the witnesses' duty but there needs to be concentration on getting graduates into these services. I do not want to sound very pessimistic but we are talking about funding for 830 to 850 vacancies yet we are talking about only being able to recruit 100 or 150 people for CDNTs. In addition, there is pressure on other areas looking for the same therapists. Do the witnesses think we should have a plan with targets and a focus on retention in respect of these services? For families facing the prospect of waiting for 18 to 24 months, it is not a good place to be from the point of view of the children's supports.