Seanad debates

Tuesday, 9 November 2021

Progressing Disability Services for Children and Young People: Statements

 

2:30 pm

Photo of John CumminsJohn Cummins (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State to the House and thank her for taking statements on this very important matter which affects so many families. I share her vision and desire, and the vision of Government and the HSE, that children's disability services be easily accessible, that they be fair, that the families and health services in schools would work together to support children, that services be based on a child's need rather than their diagnosis, and that children have services available wherever they live. I knowledge the positive developments implemented by the Government and the previous Government in the disability services sector.

I do not want what follows here to be viewed in any way as negative or a criticism of the staff who work tirelessly every day. It is important to give an accurate reflection of the various matters that have been highlighted to my office. Obviously, the roll-out of the new standard operating procedure to assess the needs of children more adequately and bring consistency to the assessment of needs process across all CHOs, which was due to be implemented by the HSE in 2020, is experiencing delays, as the Minister of State has acknowledged.

Parents of children with additional needs consistently contact me. They are exceptionally frustrated, tired, worn out and confused about the process and the reorganisation in the area. There is a lack of consistency within the various networks. Children who are on old waiting lists for intervention therapies are now being reassessed and put on a waiting list again. While I acknowledge the issues with recruitment and retention within the sector - I think the Minister of State mentioned 400 vacancies in her opening statement - it is obviously very hard to explain to parents who are often at their wits' end.

The vision for children's disability services states that services should be based on a child's need rather than diagnosis. Unfortunately, from my experience that is not the reality in many cases. Parents have repeatedly told me they are desperate to access services for their children, who may be non-verbal or require support with toileting, diet or social skills, but have not yet received a diagnosis owing to the waiting times. Without such a diagnosis they obviously cannot access the various services. In some cases, they cannot be accepted into autism spectrum disorder, ASD, classrooms at the onset of primary school.

I do not want to seem critical because I know the Minister of State is committed to resolving the many issues in the sector. I believe the reconfiguration is a step in the right direction. I acknowledge her positive contribution in saying that specific administrative officers will be allocated in the area. We need to improve the communication with families. I ask the Minister of State to intervene to ensure children who have been on waiting lists for a considerable period are not just put on another waiting list to access therapeutic services.

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