Cian O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay North, Social Democrats)
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797. To ask the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to outline the efforts her Department is making to address waiting lists for those awaiting an assessment of need; if she will address the delays faced by a person (details supplied) in accessing support from the children’s disability network team; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [55958/25]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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This Government recognises that waiting times for Assessment of Need (AON) are too long and have a significant impact on delivering on the needs of children and their families. Both this Department and the HSE are committed to reducing the timeframes for assessment and have been working intensively to progress measures to achieve this.

It is important to emphasise that, while children have a right to apply for an AON, they do not need one in order to access health services, including those provided by Primary Care, Children’s Disability Network Teams or Mental Health Services. Nevertheless, it is acknowledged that the broader system, as it currently exists, is not working as it should for children, many of whom are on long waiting lists for HSE services.

While demand for AONs has increased significantly in recent years, the past 18 months have seen the number of completed AONs increase by 30% in 2024, compared to 2023. This trend has continued in 2025 with a 58% increase in completed assessments in the first half of the year, compared to the first half of 2024.

This has been achieved by a number of measures, including the Assessment of Need Targeted Waitlist Initiative which funds the procurement of capacity from private providers to deliver clinical assessments, targeting those families waiting longest. HSE data to the end of June 2025 shows that almost 5,000 assessments have been commissioned from private providers in the first 12 months of this Initiative. Budget 2026 has furthermore committed €20 million to commission up to 6,000 extra Assessments as part of the Waitlist Initiative.

However, we cannot rely on the private sector indefinitely and we must ensure that the public system can meet the clearly growing demand. This Department is working with the HSE to ensure the delivery of actions to support the efficient delivery of Assessments of Need within the public system. This includes improved training for staff involved in the delivery of AONs, additional administrative supports, and plans to increase the numbers of Assessment Officers, Liaison Officers and administrative support.

Children’s Disability Network Teams currently provide services and supports for nearly 45,000 children with complex needs and a significant focus of the Government is filling vacant posts within the 93 CDNTs.

HSE data from April 2025 shows there has been a nationwide increase of 26% in CDNT staffing levels since October 2023. Most significantly, the CDNT national vacancy rate has reduced from 29% in 2023 to 18% in 2025, a growth of 415 WTE over the last 18 months, of which 300 are Health & Social Care Professionals.

A dedicated Disability Workforce Strategy is being developed in 2025 to meet growing service demands and address recruitment and retention challenges across specialist disability services.

Funding in Budget 2026 will sustain the progress made in recent years by continuing to support access to critical services, with a particular focus on reducing waiting lists for assessments and therapies for children with disabilities.

I have asked the HSE to revert to you directly with an update on the child, and the steps being taken to provide the services required.