Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Tully for all the work she has done on this issue and for taking the time to help some of my constituents and to talk to them on the phone. This is a situation where many parents have come to me when they have not dealt with the system before. Even people who are able to afford private care are shocked by the lack of any services available. These parents struggle to get assessments and have to go private. They are on waiting lists. One of the people they were dealing with, a speech and language therapist, told them that the recommended caseload was 25, while the actual caseload to be dealt with was 400. There must be workforce planning in this regard because the stress this situation has placed on parents of children has led to marriages breaking up and to making a difficult situation even worse. A structure must be put in place to make this system as effective as possible for the children. Early intervention can make the difference between a full life and a significantly diminished one.

We have spoken before about the issues that affect children with special educational needs and this situation is getting more grotesque. The courts are getting more crowded with cases that have been taken by desperate parents. Mr. Justice Meenan recently questioned whether such cases were the best use of the resources of the justice system, given how many are settled, which is practically all of them, and costs awarded. While constrained by the separation of powers, the judge has a point. Cases may be settled, but the proverbial situation is one where no cases would have needed to have been taken at all if there had been proper provision of services instead.

That would avoid situations like the one we saw recently in Kerry. As part of the scandal there concerning the child and adolescent mental health services, CAMHS, children who needed special educational supports were left waiting. They were sometimes prescribed antipsychotic medication when they were suffering from social anxiety and issues like that. That harmed those children and compounded the developmental issues they were experiencing. Permanent damage was sometimes caused to them, cutting off what could have been a fruitful developmental arc if they had received the proper supports. In cutting corners and pinching pennies, the Government has created hostages to fortune. It is, however, the lives of these children we are dealing with. Urgent action in line with the steps outlined in our motion is required.

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