Erin McGreehan (Louth, Fianna Fail)

I am very grateful for the opportunity to speak on this issue. I wish the Minister very well in her role.

Having listened to everyone who contributed, I believe there is not one Member across these Houses who is not inundated with queries and concerns over children’s therapies, waiting lists and assessment of need. So many of us are supporting parents and families to get services for their children.

The difficulty with the assessment of need process, the waiting lists and vacancy rates is that they are all leaving the children’s families in limbo. The services are failing the families. It is a matter of absolute urgency and it directly affects the well-being and future of our most vulnerable population, our children. It is nothing short of a stain on our health service and society. It is a disgrace that over 15,000 children are waiting for an assessment of need, and also that thousands upon thousands of children are not receiving care and the therapies they need. So many times, I had in my constituency office in Dundalk people who told me their children had aged out of the system and had not received one appointment in their lives. This proves the system is entirely broken. It is safe to say that we must shake it up completely.

Before I go on, I must pay tribute to the staff in the services. They have very important jobs caring for our children and trying to give them the tools to thrive. They do so within a system that ties their arms behind their backs. We have to be cognisant of the staff. They are overworked and, in most cases, on a team with a vacancy rate of 50%. We are not giving these professionals the space in which to provide the services to the children who most need them. It is incumbent on us to ensure the HSE looks after the staff in question, gives them the supports they need and fills the teams as soon as possible. We need to attract more staff. We want them to enjoy the incredibly valuable work they do. The recruitment and retention of therapists are so important.

We must consider the mutual recognition of qualifications across Europe, including the UK, to enable us to attract more therapists from overseas. In addition, as other Members have stated today, we must consider how we can train people and put them through our colleges. We hear about apprenticeships. In this regard, we must consider how we can train people to ensure they are working in our health services.

As the Minister well knows from her constituency office, families are struggling to survive, to be heard and to get the help they need for their children. We need assessments of need to identify and address the specific requirements of the children who need therapies, educational supports and other services if they are to reach their full potential. However, the current system is riddled with inefficiencies, delays and obstacles that prevent our children from receiving timely assessments of need. We need to act fast. However, the system is anything but fast. Respectfully, we need to be able to change it, be it through legislation or otherwise. I am not sure whether it is a question of legislation but it cannot be a matter of diminishing the right of children to get an assessment. We must ensure we enhance their rights and that practitioners can look after children, determine what they need and support them from a very early stage. We need to examine the legislation to determine how we can change it for the better. We must ensure we direct the therapists and streamline the services. We must ensure the services are in place to assist children more quickly than at present.

This is all going to be very challenging politically. I was glad to hear the Taoiseach speak today about how the Minister and her Department have been asked to come back with proposals for changes. We need to make sure that we hire from within the public sector. If we outsource constantly, we will only encourage the private sector to grow. We must ensure the private sector is not the one winning out, that staff in our public sector are encouraged to stay in it and that the State provides the required service in the most efficient way.

As everyone in this House, including the Minister, has said, the waiting lists are unacceptably long. Early intervention is critical given how children develop so rapidly at an early age. Every month and week is important. We need to ensure people with developmental delays and special needs are seen quickly.

Our system is not working for anybody, including staff, children and families, and it is not working for the State. In this House, we have identified endless problems and also some solutions. We must be unapologetic in pointing out problems. There will be feathers ruffled but we need to make a change.

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