Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I would like to tell the Taoiseach about a little boy who lives here in Dublin. He will have his fourth birthday in a few weeks from now. His mother wants what any other parent would want for her child, namely, for him to be happy and to have all of the opportunities that life brings. However, this little boy has complex needs. He had a preliminary team assessment for disability services nearly two years ago. He received no follow-up therapies and his family have not been contacted by the HSE to receive a full and proper assessment of need. As this little boy approaches his fourth birthday, he has spent half of his life waiting for this assessment. He is non-verbal, he finds it difficult to sleep at night and his mam is worried sick that without this assessment he will miss milestones and will not be supported to live his best life. She is worried when watching her son, who she loves so fiercely, slip through the cracks of a system that does not seem capable of meeting his needs. This little boy is not unique in the appalling way he has been treated. More than 10,000 children are waiting over a year for initial contact with their specialist children's disability network teams, CDNTs. The fact of that is a disgrace.

In March of last year, the High Court ruled that the HSE was breaking the law in its provision of children's disability services. Under the Disability Act 2005, every child with a disability is entitled to an assessment of need. This is meant to be provided to them within three months of seeking it. For thousands of children, however, that is not the case. Tá an Stát seo ag teip ar pháistí faoi mhíchumas go dona. In ionad measúnaithe a fháil ar sheirbhísí atá tuillte acu, mothaíonn siad go bhfuil siad ar liostaí feithimh gan deireadh ar bith agus tá lagmhisneach tagtha orthu. Tá a dtuismitheoirí ag deireadh na feide agus mothaíonn siad go bhfuil an Rialtas ag tabhairt neamhairde orthu.

These children deserve access to therapies to develop their speech, learn important skills and access the education they are entitled to. Early intervention is essential to help them reach their potential but sadly, that crucial period is passing so many of them by. This, in turn, places an overwhelming burden on families who feel forced to pay privately for assessments of need and for other therapies and services they simply cannot afford. They have no recourse for reimbursement from the State, despite the fact that it is the Minister for Health’s responsibility to ensure that children have these assessments and have access to services. These families and children deserve better, and well the Taoiseach knows it.

Families and children need a Government that will get to grips with this matter. They do not need vague promises that do not materialise, ad hocstatements, piecemeal approaches or platitudes, but a genuine change in children’s lives. When will the State honour its legal obligation to provide these services to children with disabilities, particularly timely assessments of need? When will families forced to go privately for assessments of need be reimbursed? When will financial supports be provided for families forced to access services privately?

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