Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein)
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227. To ask the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of children in Westmeath awaiting an assessment of need. [17452/26]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The Government recognises that there are unacceptable delays in accessing Assessments of Need. The Department and the HSE are committed to addressing these delays.

Under the Disability Act, an Assessment of Need is an assessment process carried out by the HSE where a person is of the opinion that he/she may have a disability, for anyone born after 1st June 2002. It first establishes whether the person has a disability (as defined within the Act). It then identifies the health and education needs of the person with a disability and the services required to meet those needs.

It is important to note that children do not require an Assessment of Need to access health services, including Primary Care, Children’s Disability Network Teams or Mental Health Services.

Demand for Assessments of Need has increased significantly in recent years, reflecting both the increase in population and the number of families exploring all options to access services for their child. The impact of this increased demand has contributed to there being 20,209 applications overdue for completion nationwide at the end of 2025 according to the most recently available HSE data.

More positively, there has been continued improvement in the number of completed assessment of need reports with 5,939 reports completed in 2025. This is a 43% increase nationally compared to the number completed in 2024.

The HSE provides Assessment of Need data on a quarterly basis, the most recent of which is for Q4 2025. This data is not available on a county level but is available at Local Health Office (LHO). It should be noted that, as Longford and Westmeath are in the same LHO, it is not possible to provide data only for Westmeath.

The data provided below for the Longford/Westmeath LHO is the position at the end of 2025 as data is not yet available for 2026. The number of applications overdue for completion includes all those that were not completed within 6 months of receipt of the application.

In December 2025, Government announced a series of changes to the AON process intended to make it more efficient and effective for children and families. These include targeted amendments to Part 2 of the Disability Act 2005, which provides for Assessments of Need. The proposed changes to the legislation include:

• Ensuring the assessment process focuses on a child’s needs, so that more intensive clinical assessments are only used where required.
• Development of statutory guidelines to better support HSE assessment officers.

The General Scheme of the Disability (Amendment) Bill has been published on the Department’s website. An FAQ document has also been published, providing information on Assessment of Need and the proposed changes for parents and any other interested stakeholders.

The HSE is also implementing actions to address the wider issue of access to services and supports for children with disabilities including:

• Introduction of a Single Point of Access system by the HSE in 2026. This should make it easier for families to be referred to the right service, whether that is primary care, CDNT or mental health services. It aims to streamline referrals and reduce duplication, so children do not end up on multiple waiting lists.
• Implementation of the Autism Assessment and Intervention Pathways Protocol by the HSE in early 2026. The Protocol will provide a standardised assessment process across primary care, mental health and disability services. It will be the preferred assessment route for autism.
• The creation of eleven new HSE teams, initially, to support assessment processes, including AON, providing clinical guidance and administrative supports.