Finian McGrath (Dublin Bay North, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Eugene Murphy for raising this important issue. I also thank him for the warm welcome I was given last week in Creggs in County Roscommon. I visited the Creggs national school where I met all the neighbours and families. They have a lovely service and it is a brilliant community. It is a very inclusive school where there are children with special needs. I thank Deputy Eugene Murphy again for that warm welcome and for his particular interest in all children with disabilities.

In Ireland and in our policy view, disability service provision promotes a non-condition specific approach with services based on need rather than diagnosis. In Roscommon multi-disciplinary services for children with Down's syndrome are provided by the Roscommon early intervention service for children up to six years and the school age disability team for children aged six to 18 years. Multi-disciplinary services including occupational therapy, physiotherapy and speech and language therapy, continue to be provided to all children with disabilities regardless of condition, based on their specific needs. The requirement for additional resources to provide appropriate and timely services for children and young people with complex needs has been identified by the Health Service Executive, HSE, and formal approval to proceed with the recruitment of 100 new therapy posts was issued last month.

All community healthcare organisations, CHOs, are now in the process of recruiting these posts. CHO 2, which includes Roscommon, has been allocated 3.5 whole-time equivalent posts. Nationally, including Roscommon, multi-disciplinary services with children with Down's syndrome are provided through the disability services. I refer to early intervention services for children up to six years and the school age disability team for children aged six to 18 years. The multi-disciplinary services include occupational therapy, physiotherapy and speech and language therapy. A review of services provided to children with Down's syndrome has not been undertaken as the current policy is to assess and provide services to children based on need. A review based on diagnosis would not be appropriate. We need to see what the needs are and then put in the teams.

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