Public and private health services must combine to address demand for child assessments – Lowry

'When we had the Covid Pandemic, the Health Service came together and we used the private sector to very good effect’ Tipperary Deputy, Michael Lowry, said when addressing the delays and frustration families face when trying the secure Assessment of Needs for children with Special Needs.

‘We do not have enough Child Psychologists in the Public Sector but they are in the Private Sector. We should make a once-off effort to get them to combine and do whatever is necessary to reduce the backlog that exists.

'We have young children waiting for two and three years for an assessment and is simply unjust and unfair and it needs to be dealt with’ he stated during Leaders Questions in the Dail on Wednesday.

‘Raising a child with special needs is both challenging and rewarding, it is demanding yet fulfilling. For parents, it becomes a labour of love in almost every possible sense. Parents want what is best for their son or daughter. They want their child to have the best possible start in life.

'They aim to set the best foundation possible to support their child throughout their life’

‘I attended an ‘Action for Autism’ Rally in Tipperary earlier this month. This event was organised by two mothers who had reached the limit of endurance. They, and most of those who joined them, have battled for years for services for their children.

'Seeing parents of children with Special Needs marching through the streets to fight for their children's needs is a heartbreaking sight. They have come to believe, with good reason, that seeking what their children urgently need through the established channels is a fruitless exercise’ he said.

‘Today I received a letter signed by all the teachers at Scoil Chormaic in Cashel, which sets out a catalogue of neglect. The school community there is suffering because of lack of resources and lack of services.

‘For as long as most people in this House can remember, there have been calls to regulate, reform and resource all areas of the Special Needs Sector.

'There have been some improvements, which are acknowledged and appreciated. However, the reality is that they merely touch the edges of an issue that is impacting the most vulnerable members of our society.

'Parents demands for their special children are no more than any child in this country deserves. They are pleading for timely assessments for their children. This is the first hurdle on their journey for their child. This is what will guide future decisions.

'The reality is that this is the hardest hurdles to cross’ stated Deputy Lowry as the most recent figures showed that there are almost 7,000 children waiting for such assessments.

‘The outcome is crucial. It will establish if they need disability, health or educational support. It will determine the road ahead. While they wait to be called for these assessments, the lives of the family, and most especially the child, are left in limbo.

‘Their next hurdle is finding a suitable place in the education system and proper SNA Support. This can be soul-destroying for parents who face many closed doors before they hopefully find one that will open to them. All the while, Minister, the lives of these children are on hold.

‘It is a sad reflection on Government, on Ireland as a country and on all of us as human beings that we are continuing to let down these children and their families down’ he concluded.

Minister for Social Protection, Heather Humphries, said that at the most recent meeting of the recently established Committee on Children, Education and Disability, the focus was on waiting lists for Assessments of Need.

She said that €16-million has been set aside for the HSE to procure diagnostic ASD Assessments through the Private Sector.

She added that a significant number of new Special Classes will be opened for the next school year with capacity increased in existing classes.

‘400 have already been sanctioned for September with arrangements finalised for 300 of these while the remainder will be identified in the coming weeks.