Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South-Central, Sinn Fein)

The failure that is happening here is profound for parents and most importantly for their children, but also for the professionals working in the field. It feels as if the system is shuddering to a halt and is completely choking up, and the situation continues to get worse and worse. More than 15,000 children are waiting for an assessment of need. There are more than 2,000 in my county, Cork. Many of them have been waiting for over a year, of which many have been waiting for over 30 months. It is a scandalous situation.

A few weeks ago, I attended a number of protests organised by parents, Nicole Hosford, Karen McGrath and people like that, who have been here and have met officials from the Departments. The focus at that point was on special school places but they never lost sight of the fact that it is not isolated and that does not solve everything by any means. If a child gets a seat in a classroom, it does not solve all the issues and does not ensure that child reach their full potential. Sometimes, in this place, we get so used to a particular phrase for a policy, such as assessment of need, that it loses meaning. If we think about what it actually is and what it means for a parent, an assessment of need identifies what that child needs from the health system, education, therapies, meeting the child, understanding the child, and seeing how you can meet the child's best potential. How frustrating is it for that child and the child's parents to know that there is not even the basis for a plan for them to proceed? Tá mé ag impí ar an Aire maoiniú a thabhairt do Cara’s Fund. I am urging the Minister to support the motion later and to fund Cara's Fund.

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