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

I mean no disrespect to the Ministers who are present - I am not sure which of them is taking this matter - but I hoped the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, if not the senior Minister, would be here to take this. The Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, has been directly involved in this matter and is aware of the issues involved. I regret that neither she nor the senior Minister is here. I mean no disrespect to the Ministers present. It is unfortunate.

Carrigaline Community Special School was set up two years ago. It was the first special school established under the patronage of Cork Education and Training Board, ETB. Its establishment came in the context of coming out of Covid. There was a very tight timeframe from its being announced to its opening. The issues I am raising are no reflection on the ETB or the principal, Colm Manley, who are both doing an excellent job. This is about respite and therapies and the fact that the children in the school and their parents feel profoundly let down. They believe they are receiving a lesser quality of service and treatment than that provided to children in other special schools and their parents.

There are two primary issues here. The first relates to respite. Most special schools in the Cork area are operated by organisations that have been in the disability and special education sector for some time and, as such, have their own respite resources. They are the service providers for respite and therapies. Cork ETB has no such background and did not, therefore, have respite at its disposal to support the parents and ensure the children get the benefit of that respite.

During this time, these parents have not even been able to get onto the list for respite. There are 48 children in the school and the parents of many of them are under very severe pressure. That they have not been able to get onto a waiting list is simply not good enough. There were, I believe, ten suppressed beds for some time. Parents are still waiting for clarity on when those ten suppressed beds will come back into circulation and whether they will be able to access them. That is the first question.

On therapies, the HSE has been saying there are school-based therapists. In reality, insofar as it is the case, my understanding is that these therapists have only been coming into the school to work with the staff and provide training. Even where therapy has been available, it is provided to four of the 48 children in the school, namely, those who reside in the nearest children's disability network team, CDNT, area. This means there is no therapy available. The HSE has been trying to tout these as school-based therapists when they are available one day a week, and really only for the staff so far. The other 44 children are being told to go to the therapist in their home team. Some of them have not been seen by their home team. They should be getting support in the school. I know in other areas such as in Danu Community Special School in County Dublin, all children were allocated a CDNT team in the vicinity of the school to ensure they had access to the therapies they need.

I will raise a few more points in my next contribution. I am raising this issue on behalf of Cork Parents Unite, which has been pushing it as hard as it can to try to get answers on the respite and therapies that these parents so badly need for their children.

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