Frances Black (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I warmly welcome the Minister of State to the House. I thank her for all the work she is doing in this area. I am very aware she works extremely hard and no better woman for the job. I agree with my colleague, Senator Seery Kearney, that there should be a full Cabinet Minister with responsibility for disabilities.

As we work towards a national reframing of services for disabled young people and those requiring specific educational support through the progressing disabilities services programme, it is vital that we are ambitious and keep the principles of dignity and equality laid out in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities at the forefront of all we do. The progressing disabilities services programme offers an opportunity to create a level playing field for all families in Ireland no matter what their background or where they live. We must guard against confusing equality of access to services for a one-size-fits-all approach as was sometimes done in the past. The new national programme must be person centred and solidly grounded in an understanding of support services as a right that enables all young people to flourish, reach their full potential and participate equally in our shared future. Long-term planning and multiannual funding will be needed to make sure services throughout the country have the expertise and resources they need to make sure appropriate support is available to all who need it in a timely manner and to put an end to families having to battle constantly for scraps of support that barely cover the basics.

Trust was shaken by the "RTÉ Investigates" revelations last year about the Department of Health compiling information on families forced to take cases to receive the support they needed. We need to rebuild this trust with a real commitment to transparency and fairness and an end to the under-resourcing that treats families in need of support as adversaries. As well as long-term financial commitment, it is vital that we make a commitment to transitioning the services and supports away from an outdated medical model view of disability towards a rights-based approach which puts families at the centre of decisions about their lives. To do this, the voices of disabled young people need to be more clearly listened to in all stages of planning and delivery. Disabled young people and their families must be consulted about how these changes impact their lives. We must create a system that is responsive to their needs. We must move away from harmful practices that seek to isolate or impose conformity on disabled children and instead support their diversity and ensure they have the tools they need to build towards the lives they choose for themselves.

Our national disability framework action plan guarantees that access to services will be based on need and not on diagnosis. This is an approach I warmly welcome. I hope to see it expanded in the years to come. However, all too often the insight of families on what supports their children require goes unheard. They must rely on diagnosis to make their needs heard. This is particularly the case as young people progress in education or as they make the transition out of secondary school. The revised assessment of need standard operating protocol must include access to correct diagnosis for those who want one. This will not only guard against a future of unmet needs but will allow young people to understand themselves better as they grow. We must also address the regulatory and structural barriers that remain to ensure neither disabled people nor their carers risk poverty as we move forward together.

I urge the State to ratify as soon as possible the optional protocol of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities to show that the time of empty promises is past and that Ireland is committed to vindicating the rights of its disabled citizens and to creating a more equal society that values all of its people. We must not forget that long-term mental ill health is disabling and that these past years with the pressures of Covid, and I know this from the work I have done on the Joint Sub-committee on Mental Health, have presented new challenges which will require new answers. I look forward to a renewed commitment towards ensuring mental health support services are available to all who need them as part of the progressing disabilities services programme. A lot of work has been done in tackling the stigma surrounding an important part of all our health. As we move more strongly towards a framework that treats people in crisis and their families with dignity and respect, it is important we embed appropriate mental health support for young people throughout the country as an essential foundation for their futures.

I reiterate what all of my colleagues have said and wish the Minister of State well going forward in this particular job. I know how difficult her job must be and I thank her.