Ruairí Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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121. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if she will provide the updated figures from the CDNT workforce report carried out in October 2024; if she will outline the strategy to deal with the current vacancy rate in CDNTs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6975/25]

Ruairí Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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I would like to ask the Minister of State if she will provide updated figures from the CDNT workforce report carried out in October 2024. Will she outline the strategy - some of this has been dealt with - regarding the current vacancy rate in the CDNTs and what can be done to rectify that, assuming we can provide the best result across the board to the children and families who are in need?

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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A CDNT workforce survey was conducted on 16 October 2024. This survey captured staffing levels across various disciplines and grades, providing a snapshot of the current workforce across 93 CDNTs. While this report only provides us with a snapshot in time, with recruitment having continued in the interim, it is the most comprehensive workforce report we have on CDNTs. It is expected that the full report will be published by the HSE in the coming weeks. The returning data indicates that the CDNT workforce increased by 17% when compared with the 2023 figure. This represents an additional 272 whole-time equivalent staff working across CDNTs. Within those onboarded, the largest growth was in health and social care professionals, accounting for 204 of the 272 whole-time equivalent staff. Most significantly, the CDNT vacancy rate has reduced from 29% in 2023 to 22% in 2024. That is a reduction of 7% nationally. Although recruitment challenges persist, this is a welcome development in the context of an acknowledged international shortage of personnel with the necessary qualifications or experience to fill vacant CDNT posts.

In budget 2025, my Department secured €2.84 million in new development measure funding to provide an additional 40 health and social care professionals. That comprises 20 senior and 20 staff grade therapists. There are also 20 therapy assistants to enhance services, including in-reach services for special schools and special classes, and 15 clinical psychology trainee placements, which are critical to attracting and upskilling undergraduates to work in CDNTs post graduation. The progressing disability services roadmap focuses on the ongoing development of CDNT services to meet current and growing demand, as mentioned earlier to Deputy Ward. That includes a number of measures that will attract and retain staff.

Ruairí Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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Go raibh maith agat. I would appreciate if we could get that full report as soon as possible when the Minister of State has an actual deadline. My last parliamentary question contains the same detail in relation to this issue. My understanding is that almost 530 whole-time equivalent positions were still missing or not filled at October last year in the children’s disability network teams. I would like some information in that regard because we are still talking about a very big hole.

I remember a particular meeting of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Autism when we met with representatives from the Association of Occupational Therapists of Ireland, the Irish Association of Speech and Language Therapists and the Psychological Society of Ireland. What they said is that nobody had a discussion with them regarding how best we could provide services. I think we will all say we need to look at how we deal with assessments and how we deliver therapies.

I welcome the increases. I have spoken to the Minister of State before, even earlier today. We now really have to look at ramping up the school inclusion model and having holistic therapies in school where the need is. There is a fear. I understood from Adam Harris and AsIAm that families were worried it would be only school-specific. It needs to be more than that. We could still then provide the bespoke solutions required for those who need more acute therapies and assessments.

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy knows, we have the pilot of in-school therapists in Dublin, Cork and Galway being rolled out. He is absolutely correct about recruitment and the need to ensure we are recruiting. We have recruitment efforts across the HSE, section 38 and section 39 organisations to on-board staff and have sustained outreach and engagement, for example, with secondary schools and higher education institutions to expose more students to the rewarding and impactful nature of working in the disability services and CDNTs. Seven of the disciplines working on our CDNTs have been included on the critical skills occupation list, enabling non-EEA nationals to be eligible for a work permit. Also, on further supported service provision, there is ongoing development of additional disciplines to expand the skills mix and applicant pools, including development of the role of health and social care therapy assistant in 2024. In addition, practice education placements in CDNTs continue to be increased, alongside expanding the number of places in higher education to make sure we have the pipeline of therapists coming through.

Ruairí Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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Obviously everything that can be done from a recruitment and retention point of view should be done. On workforce planning, we must ensure that have not only the best possible work conditions and pay but that we have enough students training. That all needs to be done. I am going back to two particular issues. I would be grateful for an update on how many whole-time equivalent positions are still missing from the CDNTs. The Minister of State may not have the figures with her now. The other issue is whether we are going to have an engagement with these organisations, which represent those necessary therapists, from a point of view of how we can get the best bang for our buck. I am talking about everything from assessments through to therapies. The school inclusion model has shown real successes so it is hard to see how that is not the model we need to roll out, not just for special schools but for mainstream as well so that we can provide a holistic service.

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy. I absolutely agree that the school inclusion model has been a real success. I will come back with the figures. It is my understanding that there are about 500 vacancies but I will revert to the Deputy just in case that number has been updated. My door is open in relation to meeting therapists. I have been engaging with service providers, service users and stakeholders since I came into this role. That is absolutely key if we are to get this right and get the policy right. We need to be listening to everyone, including the experts in the area, but also to those with the lived experience, the parents who are trying to get access to services for their children and the people with disabilities of all ages who are trying to get access to services. They are the people I need to listen to as well, who have the lived experience and who are the experts in that area as well. The Deputy can be assured that I will be continuing those engagements to make sure we get this right.