Jim Daly (Cork South West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senator for raising the issue of access to children's early intervention services and psychological assessment in north Dublin.

As the Senator is aware, there is a very high demand for early intervention services. Regrettably, there are now very significant waiting times in Dublin north city and county as well as other areas. There are a growing number of local factors driving this demand, including the increasing child population and growth in terms of the number of children presenting with complex needs.

The early intervention service for the area receives, on average, between 13 and 14 new referrals a month. A high level of requests for assessment of need are also received. These are typically carried out by therapists who also work in the early intervention service. From January to August of this year, 1,251 assessments of need were completed by the HSE disability service in north Dublin.

The HSE fully acknowledges the stress that delays in access to services and assessment can cause to families and is actively working to address the waiting times. The HSE disability service in Dublin north city and county has begun recruiting for five additional posts, one in each of the following services: psychology; occupational therapy; speech and language therapy; physiotherapy; and social work. These additional staff will further contribute to a reduction of waiting times for early intervention services across the area.

The local HSE disability service is currently engaged with the HSE nationally in the reconfiguration of services for children to deliver a new model of assessment and intervention that will provide a clear pathway for children aged zero to 18 years. The progressing disabilities services programme aims to achieve a national equitable approach in service provision for all children based on their individual need and regardless of their disability, where they live or where they go to school. The programme is doing this by forming partnerships between all of the disability organisations in an area and pooling their staff, who have expertise in the different types of disabilities, to form local children's disability network teams who will provide services for children with a significant disability, regardless of their disability. Evidence to date from areas where this has been rolled out shows that implementation of this programme will also have a positive impact on waiting lists both for assessments and therapies.

Senators will be aware that funding for an additional 100 therapy posts was secured as part of budget 2019. These additional posts, along with the reconfiguration of services and other initiatives, are expected to have a significant positive impact on waiting times for early intervention and assessment of need. It will also help meet the needs of children and young people in a more efficient, effective and equitable manner.