Catherine Byrne (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

On behalf of the Minister of State, Deputy Finian McGrath, I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. I apologise that the Minister of State cannot be present for this discussion. I will make a statement and refer to some of the issues the Deputy raised. I hope I will also be able to fill in some of the gaps for the Deputy.

I am pleased to confirm that the national programme, Progressing Disability Services for Children and Young People, is changing the way services are provided across the country to make access to services equitable and consistent for all. The programme is based on family-centred practice based around a child's natural environments and the everyday routines, activities and places of daily life of the child and his or her family. This model is recognised as an effective model of support for children with complex needs and lifelong disabilities to support the development of skills to maximise active participation within their communities and daily life. It also recognises that children with complex needs may present with requirements across a number of areas and that services provided in isolation within one environment of a child's life are not appropriate. For these reasons, support and intervention are provided in a variety of environments such as home, school, clinic and community settings.

Under the national programme, all children disability services in Kildare west Wicklow were reconfigured in May 2014 and three network disability teams were established in south Kildare west Wicklow, mid-Kildare west Wicklow and north Kildare, respectively. Significant investment has been made in the children disability network teams in Kildare west Wicklow. In addition to the staff that reconfigured in May 2014, an additional 22 permanent posts have been allocated to the Kildare west Wicklow network disability teams. Another nine temporary posts have also been provided as part of a waiting list initiative.

The Kildare west Wicklow teams have developed strong working relationships with many of the schools in the area. Supporting children to actively participate within the school environment forms a significant part of the daily work of the network disability teams' therapists. The referral rate to the service continues to grow across all three teams. The average referral rate to the Kildare west Wicklow network disabilities team is 35 children per month, while the current average wait time for services is between six and 13 months.

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