Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

It has been said by my colleague, Deputy Cullinane, that what is happening to children throughout the State is shameful. I commend Deputy Tully on tabling the motion. We are returning to this issue because in the intervening period since we last raised it the Government has been found to be in breach of the law. It is in breach of the Disability Act.

We need to think of this issue more than in terms of systems, teams and clinicians. There have been far too many in the HSE and perhaps the Government who have thought of it only in these terms. They have not tried to stand in the shoes of the parents and the children affected by this. I get phone calls, as I am sure the Minister of State does, from parents who are encountering this new system but have no idea how to navigate it. Children are being discharged from the system without parents being informed. They are being moved from area to area and from list to list. Parents do not know how to navigate this. They find that they cannot get an assessment of need. They get appointments for another waiting list. Even after all of this, the time that people are waiting for therapies is absolutely scandalous. This is about children not being able to reach their full potential. This has implications for us all. It has implications for society as a whole. It has particular implications for those children and their ability to thrive in education and in life and to enjoy school and society so they have the best impact possible.

Last Friday, I visited a school in County Waterford. An example was given to me of someone who received an occupational therapy appointment three and a half to four years following the previous appointment. The person was asked whether they wanted the appointment. This is the level of service some children are getting. There are years between therapies. During that time there could be regression or all sorts of issues.

The teams are completely understaffed and they were completely unprepared for the change in policy. In one instance a parent was told by a member of staff in the HSE to get onto the local Deputies to raise it because the team was completely swamped. This is the reality. There are excellent clinicians working on the ground but they are completely demoralised by being on teams that are totally under-resourced. They see children being let down and they know they do not spend the time that they should with these children. It has been stated clearly in black and white that the Government is in breach of the law. This needs to end. We need proper AONs and we need the therapies these children deserve to ensure they reach their full potential.

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