Pauline Tully (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I want to raise an issue that was highlighted in news reports last week resulting from a report by the Child Law Project and Dr. Niall Muldoon, who is Ombudsman for Children. It highlighted the case of a teenage girl with a disability who was held in a hospital room off the emergency department for two months in 2021 because Tusla - the Child and Family Agency and HSE disability services could not work together to ensure that the proper supports were put in place to support this child and her family. The young girl was living in a dark room. She was not outside for two months. She had no access to education, no physical activity for the two months and even limited access to television or Wi-Fi for a period. It is not an isolated incident. Unfortunately, there are many families facing this stark choice and who feel they have no option because they do not receive the supports they require from the disability services in the community. What steps has the Government taken to ensure co-operation among State agencies such as Tusla and the disability services for families with children with disability to ensure the children are put first?

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