Results 8,601-8,620 of 9,472 for speaker:Hildegarde Naughton

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Disability Services (25 Feb 2025)

Hildegarde Naughton: The HSE and lead agencies are experiencing ongoing challenges recruiting to maximum capacity in the disability sector. These challenges are reflective of issues affecting the wider health and social care sector and are impacting the ability of the HSE and disability service providers to deliver on their vital work. Ensuring that the disability sector is fully resourced is a key priority of...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Disability Services (25 Feb 2025)

Hildegarde Naughton: I thank the Deputy, who has raised valid issues. We are supporting practice education in CDNTs. There is a student sponsorship programme. There is also an initiative whereby four years of salary are paid to new graduates over five years to support a gap year in the fifth year. We also have the development of apprenticeship programmes. At national level in response to the challenges, we...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Disability Services (25 Feb 2025)

Hildegarde Naughton: I thank the Deputies for their questions. Have we moved on to Question No. 121 in the name of Deputy Ó Murchú?

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Disability Services (25 Feb 2025)

Hildegarde Naughton: A children’s disability network team workforce survey was conducted on 16 October 2024. This survey captured staffing levels across various disciplines and grades-----

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Disability Services (25 Feb 2025)

Hildegarde Naughton: I thank Deputy Ó Murchú. I thought that was what it was. My apologies.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Disability Services (25 Feb 2025)

Hildegarde Naughton: That is okay. It is good confusion. I thought we had moved on to the next question.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Disability Services (25 Feb 2025)

Hildegarde Naughton: That is good. It keeps me on my toes.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Disability Services (25 Feb 2025)

Hildegarde Naughton: No, the Minister is fine. I thank Deputies Ward and Ó Murchú for their questions. The question is on recruitment and retention of our staff, including therapists in our voluntary and community sectors. We are doing everything to make sure pay is fair. This is why there was a call to the WRC. The Minister, Deputy Foley, and I have brought a memo to Cabinet welcoming the talks...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Disability Services (25 Feb 2025)

Hildegarde Naughton: 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...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Disability Services (25 Feb 2025)

Hildegarde Naughton: 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...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Disability Services (25 Feb 2025)

Hildegarde Naughton: 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...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Childcare Services (25 Feb 2025)

Hildegarde Naughton: That is not Question No. 122. Is that an additional question?

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Disabilities Assessments (25 Feb 2025)

Hildegarde Naughton: The current delays in accessing assessments of need as well as therapy services are acknowledged and work is ongoing with the HSE to maximise the capacity of CDNTs to deliver therapy interventions to children and to produce assessments of need. This is being done via recruitment campaigns and other measures. In October 2023, the HSE published a roadmap for service improvement that...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Disabilities Assessments (25 Feb 2025)

Hildegarde Naughton: I agree with the Deputy that more needs to be done. That is an absolute commitment from me, as Minister of State with responsibility for disabilities, and the Government, to look at whatever we can do to make sure that children are getting their therapies. Also, as the Deputy knows, CHO 9 is composed of local health offices of north Dublin, Dublin north centre and north-west Dublin. Some...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Disability Services (25 Feb 2025)

Hildegarde Naughton: I would like to thank the Deputy for his question. The Government is committed to providing early intervention services to children with disabilities and their families, as referenced in the Programme for Government. A total of €3.2 billion has been allocated for Disability Services in Budget 2025, which is an 11.6% increase on 2024 and represents an overall increase since 2020 of...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Health Services (25 Feb 2025)

Hildegarde Naughton: Community and voluntary health and social care workers are the backbone of many essential services, and the State depends on them to deliver essential support to people across the country every day. All staff in these sectors should be fairly paid and appropriately recognised for the difficult work they do. My priority is clear: to protect these vital services for those who rely on them...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Disabilities Assessments (25 Feb 2025)

Hildegarde Naughton: I would like to thank the Deputy for her question. The HSE have informed my Department that there are currently 175 children or young people waiting for an Assessment of Need in Mayo. There are 22 children on the Childrens Disability Network Team caseloads waiting for subsequent services and therapies. Looking more broadly, at the end of December 2024, there were 655 children waiting for...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Disability Services (25 Feb 2025)

Hildegarde Naughton: The Progressing Disability Services (PDS) Roadmap 2023 – 2026, launched by the HSE in October 2023, focuses on the ongoing development of Children’s Disability Network Team (CDNT) services to meet current and growing demand. Under Working Group 3 of the PDS Roadmap which focuses on Workforce, the HSE is progressing 21 actions focused on recruitment and retention initiatives...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Disability Services (25 Feb 2025)

Hildegarde Naughton: Under the 2025 Programme for Government – “Securing Ireland’s Future”, this Government is committed to renewing efforts to enhance services in order to better support the needs of children with disabilities. The HSE advises that Children’s Disability Network Teams (CDNTs) are currently providing services and supports for over 42,800 children....

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Disability Services (25 Feb 2025)

Hildegarde Naughton: As this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.