Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. Regarding the case of the two boys, I take on board everything he said and will talk to the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, regarding the issues he raised but I cannot comment on the case because I was not aware of it before I came in here. The Minister of State apologises for not being here. The Deputy is right that early intervention is key and one of the most important things we have for children who need those supports.

With regard to the twin boys, the Deputy spoke of repetitive body movement and other issues and stated that they have been told it will be up to two years before they get support. I will bring all that back to the Minister of State. She is committed to the development and enhancement of children's disability services through the implementation of the progressing disabilities services programme. She acknowledges this change in the programme has been challenging for many stakeholders, particularly children and young people using the service and their families. These challenges have resulted in unacceptably long delays, such as those the Deputy outlined, for families to access much-needed therapies for their children. The Minister of State reiterates her sincere regret at this situation.

At present there are huge challenges in recruiting and retaining staff in the healthcare sector, particularly with regard to the therapy professions required in children’s disability services. This is leading to vacant posts in children's disability network teams, CDNTs, across the country. There are 14 CDNTs in Cork-Kerry community healthcare. The location of each aligns with the 14 community healthcare networks. Vacant posts in Cork, excluding special schools, stand at 38 whole-time equivalents. Local HSE officials are actively working with national HSE in recruitment for these posts. Lead agencies have ongoing recruitment campaigns and panels are in place for vacancies.

The measures to enhance recruitment and retention of staff across CDNTs include: target national and international recruitment to include an agreed relocation allowance where appropriate; apprentice and sponsorship programmes for therapy grades; employment of graduates as therapy assistants as they await CORU registration; and the expansion of therapy assistants into the system with HSE supporting individuals to return to education to qualify as therapists. While recruitment efforts proceed, the HSE is also driving a number of initiatives to reduce waiting times for children and families and provide the support they urgently need, such as sourcing therapy assessments and interventions externally via private service providers, to which the Deputy referred. CDNTs have prioritisation systems and caseload management systems, including assessment and intervention pathways in place, ensuring children with the highest priority of needs can access services.

Notwithstanding these challenges, it is important to acknowledge the significant work involved in establishing the CDNTs and the services that are being delivered. Approximately 35,000 children are currently receiving supports and services from these teams across the State. However, there is much more work to do. Funding has been provided to the HSE for additional posts in recent years to strengthen the capacity of CDNTs to ensure services can be provided. This funding provides for more than 600 additional whole-time equivalent posts for children’s teams throughout the country. Vacancies are arising not because of a lack of resources but because of supply issues in the health and social care sector for specialist therapy professionals.

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