Ms Geraldine Moran:

We try to hold it together when we see that trauma because we are human too but there are some good news stories, which is what we want to see. We want to build on the number of good news stories. There are lots of things within PDS that work really well. The medical model of disability and disability services provided services. It brought people in, gave them a block of therapy, sent them on their way and they were gone from the waiting list. We are talking here about children who have complex needs. As those needs will be with them for their lives, they will need help and support, yes, at the early intervention stage but, as Dr. O'Leary has highlighted, right through. This week I heard of a child who would have been seen to be from this golden era of services before we changed to PDS but all the supports, including staffing, went into assessments and there was no space left for therapies. The child in question is a teenager who is about to sit a leaving certificate exam and he is extremely anxious. A psychologist within the CDNT is holding that child and trying to support him to make that transition and sit his exam. So not only do CDNTs deal with challenges-----