Cian O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay North, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

Radie Peat of Lankum and Dan Lambert, manager of Kneecap, recently spoke about their experiences as parents of a child with additional needs. Speaking with Oliver Callan on RTÉ radio, they described the challenges that they, and thousands of families like them, face in battling to get supports for their child. Since their child was 17 months old, Radie and Dan realised she was autistic and non-verbal. Despite this, she will not get the supports she urgently needs until she is six and a half years old. The story Radie and Dan have shared mirrors the experience of thousands of other families. After looking for help, their belief that they would get the necessary supports was quickly shattered. From the outset, they were told their child would not get what she needed in a timely manner. They were advised to leave Dublin. They were told their child would get better support in any other European country and that they would be better off leaving Ireland. They were told they would have to battle continuously to get access to basic supports and that nothing would happen at the appropriate time. All this resulted in them feeling completely overwhelmed.

Radie spoke of how she had to cry and beg as she navigated a grossly under-resourced system and how trying to figure out how the systems work is like a full-time job. She spoke about fighting and battling to get to the next step in the process, only to realise when she got there that there is nothing there and about how doing all this while working and supporting a child is completely and utterly exhausting. Radie and Dan were speaking not only about their experience but about the experience of thousands of children and families in similar situations.

Some 14,221 children are overdue for an assessment of needs and a further 12,920 children are on waiting lists for children's disability network teams, CDNTs. The Taoiseach is aware that early intervention is key and that there is no time to lose. Children with additional needs are being left behind while their parents jump through hoops to try to access basic services and supports. Last May, I asked him about the 700 vacancies in CDNTs, with some areas experiencing staff shortages as high as 60% and even 70%. How many of these vacant posts have been filled? When will children with additional needs get the access to basic supports and services they urgently need?

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