Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, Independent)
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I am disappointed the Minister of State, Deputy Finian McGrath, is not here to take this Topical Issue matter. However, the St. John of God special school in Islandbridge, providing services for children with profound disabilities, is in the constituency of the Minister of State, Deputy Catherine Byrne. I know she will be interested in what has come out about it over the past few days.

On Monday, Emma O'Kelly gave a report on “Morning Ireland” about three parents and their children who attend the school. One mother, Christine, has an eight year-old son who attends the school and who is both deaf and autistic. She is a lone parent who lives in Dolphin House. Her son is non-verbal, wears nappies and has received no services or therapies in the past two years. He needs supports for washing, dressing, toilet training, etc.

Sarah and Fabrice’s son, Joseph, 17 years of age, has been four years in the school. He has received no services. He needs speech and language therapy, as well as occupational therapy. He was receiving them from the HSE but is not now. Once one goes into a service like St. John of God, the HSE expects the service to provide them. Sarah described the situation like a ping-pong ball. One service blames the other and no one seems be able to get to the nub of the problem, namely, that there are no services. They are currently paying €2,500 per year for speech and language therapy. Fabrice said he can afford to pay but the lack of service discriminates against those like Christine who cannot afford it. Why are their children’s needs being outsourced to a private charity?

Catherine Lyons, secretary of the parents' committee, said no therapeutic services are provided. This year’s school leavers have never received therapy. She says they are in limbo and are the lost children. That is a terrible description for a parent to have to use about her child.

When Emma O'Kelly asked St. John of God services how many speech and language therapists were available at the school, she was told none in the past two years. She said she has seen in writing that it has been for the past three years while parents say it has been for the past four years. On occupational therapists, St. John of God said it took a consultation approach to 11 of the 92 children. That is not a service. That is just paying lip-service to it.

The parents' committee did a comparison of services provided between the school in Islandbridge and St. Augustine’s school in Blackrock. It got this information from genuine sources. St. Augustine’s has two speech and language therapists working exclusively in the school while Islandbridge has two speech and language therapists shared with 500 people in the south-west Dublin area. St. Augustine’s has two social workers working exclusively in the school while Islandbridge has an emergency social work clinic for two hours a week. Blackrock has two psychologists working exclusively in the school while Islandbridge has one psychologist shared with St. John of God Menni services. St. Augustine’s has one school nurse while no such service is available in Islandbridge. St. Augustine’s has 26 vocational instructors funded by the HSE through St. John of God community services. Pupils are supported for three years after leaving school in Blackrock. In Islandbridge, no such service is provided. Six modern houses providing residential services, Monday to Friday, funded by the HSE through St. John of God community services, are provided in Blackrock while no such service in Islandbridge. An after school independent living programme from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m., Monday to Friday, is provided in Blackrock while in Islandbridge, there is no such service. An extended school day for pupils in their final two years in Blackrock is provided while in Islandbridge, no such service is provided. That tells a stark story.

Catherine Byrne (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael)
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I thank Deputy Joan Collins for raising this issue. Unfortunately, the Minister of State, Deputy Finian McGrath, cannot attend.

St. John of God community services provides for a range of HSE-funded supports in the area of disability and mental health. It is committed to the provision and development of services and supports of the highest standards to children and adults with intellectual disability. There are two whole-time equivalent speech and language therapy posts currently funded by the HSE in St. John of God, Islandbridge. At present, one of these posts is vacant due to sick leave. However, I understand St. John of God community services has commenced a recruitment process to fill this vacant post.

As part of the wider St. John of God community Menni services, some occupational therapy services are also provided to the users of Islandbridge. The Department of Education and Skills also provides significant levels of educational staffing to the school to support the educational needs of the pupils attending the school. This includes provision for a school principal, 16 teachers and 30 special needs assistants to support the care needs of the pupils attending the school.

A programme for reconfiguration of children’s disability services is under way in Dublin west and the south city as part of the Government’s progressing disability services for children and young people programme. The national programme is changing the way services are provided across the country to make access to services equitable and consistent for all. It also recognises that children with complex needs may present with needs across several areas and that services provided in isolation within one environment of a child’s life is not appropriate.

Therefore, support and intervention is provided in a variety of environments, including home, school, clinic and community settings. When the services are reconfigured all resources currently available in the area, voluntary and statutory, will be centralised and reconfigured into children's network disability teams. Children currently attending the St. John of God School, lslandbridge will be among the cohort of children affected by the reconfiguration of new teams in the community as part of the process. In the interim, children can be referred to the current school-age team in the community. The proposed reconfiguration of services is scheduled to take place in the fourth quarter of 2018. I will come back to Deputy Collins on some of the issues she has raised.

Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, Independent)
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I raised this issue with the Taoiseach last year during Leaders' Questions. It was thrown aside. I was told that what I had said was not the case and that it was not happening in St. John of God. I was told the children were getting the services. I followed up with parliamentary questions.

Emma O'Kelly did a detailed report into this. It has been shown that St. John of God, Islandbridge is the poor relation when it comes to services. The organisation does not have vocational structures. It has only one psychologist, who is shared with St. John of God Menni Services. It has an emergency social work clinic for two hours each week, while two speech and language therapists are shared with 500 people in the Dublin South-West area. This has to change.

On Tuesday, the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, the Minister for Education and Skills and the Minister for Health launched a pilot scheme funded by the National Council for Special Education to bring services into mainstream schools. This school in Islandbridge is specifically supposed to provide these services for children but they are not getting the service. This is mad. The main message the Ministers tried to get across was that early intervention makes all the difference, yet these children have had no services for four years. Parents are going to private speech and therapy services for their children at a cost of €2,500 per year.

A scandal arose in St. John of God Services only two years ago when pensions and so on were being paid to the people on the board according to their rights. What about the rights of the children? These children need services now. That launch was in the HSE community healthcare organisation 7 area, which includes Islandbridge. The parents are demanding that the National Council for Special Education or the HSE intervene and provide the services that St John of God, Islandbridge is not providing.

Catherine Byrne (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy. I saw the report by Ms O'Kelly on the television. I was shocked by some of the statistics raised, including those raised by Deputy Collins, as well as by the information she has given me. Unfortunately, I cannot answer any of the accusations Deputy Collins has made on paper. If Deputy Collins gives me the information I will certainly bring it to the attention of the Minister of State with responsibility for this area, Deputy McGrath.

At present, the Government and the HSE are committed to supporting children with special needs. We have recognised that first-class early intervention is very important for all children with disabilities. It is paramount.

Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, Independent)
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The problem is that they are not getting it.

Catherine Byrne (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael)
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I hear Deputy Collins loud and clear. We need to improve and organise more effectively the process under way at present nationwide. The key object is to bring about access to disability services consistently and to ensure services are delivered with a clear pathway for children with disabilities and their families.

I do not have the information available to Deputy Collins. I know St. John of God Services well, as does Deputy Collins, because the organisation is in our constituency. I admire the work done down through the years in St. John of God Services by all the people working there, including special needs assistants and those serving the community. I know many families whose children benefit from St. John of God Services.

I will certain bring the concerns of Deputy Collins and, to be honest, my concerns to the attention of the Minister of State with responsibility for this area, Deputy McGrath. If Deputy Collins gives me the information she has, I will certainly bring it to the attention of the Minister for State.

I am unsure whether St. John of God Services is the poor relation, as suggested by Deputy Collins. However, if that is the case then something needs to be done rapidly to address the matter and I will support Deputy Collins in that regard. Until I have the full information before me, I cannot go back to the Minister of State. I will get the information from Deputy Collins and get the Minister of State, Deputy McGrath, to reply to her.

Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, Independent)
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Parents have full respect for the teachers and the SNAs working there. The people there are great.

Catherine Byrne (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael)
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I know they are. I know most of the parents.