Assessment of need waiting list a 'disaster' says Louth's Ó Murchú

The assessment of need waiting list, expected to reach at least 22,000 the end of this year, ‘has been a disaster for a considerable period of time’, Louth TD Ruairí Ó Murchú told the Dáil, as he pushed Minister for Disabilities, Emer Higgins, to outline what the government plans are to tackle it.

On the last day of the Dáil term before the Christmas recess, Deputy Ó Murchú, who is Sinn Féin’s spokesperson on disability, said new proposals by the government to deal with assessment of needs are causing ‘much unease’.

He said: “One of the issues with the proposals is that they are only an indication of a proposal. If we are talking about removing the need for assessments of need in schools, it is a fact that we are talking about something that is a few months away from being completed. 

“Will the Minister of State give an indication of how she and the Department of Education will come up with a process and by which means children will be assessed for the appropriate class, special class or mainstream education with supports? That is vital”.

He also highlighted how some children awaiting assessments are ‘bounced around lists’ in the HSE.

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In response, Minister Higgins said: “The Department of Education has indicated to us that it is willing to explore how to get to a point where it can remove an assessment of need as a requirement for entry to special schools and special classes. 

“One of the things announced this week was the single point of access, which is the HSE's new system to ensure there is no wrong door and that when children get to the top of a list, they are not pushed to the bottom of another list”.

Deputy Ó Murchú wanted to know how an estimated 300 unfilled positions in the Children’s Disability Network Teams (CDNTs) will be recruited.

He said: “We are all supportive of therapies within schools and involving the schools, the parents and everyone involved in the child's life. 

“Assistive technology is absolutely important at that point. How do we get that recruitment process done while we are recruiting to all these bodies at the same time?”

Minister Higgins said: “We have committed to informing parents earlier about when a decision is arrived at as to whether or not their child has a disability. 

“We have the HSE's new model of having a single point of access and which will be supported by additional recruitment. Between that and the autism assessment process and protocol, which is also a huge part of this, they will be supported by 11 inreach teams next year and 20 inreach teams by the end of the following year. 

“We are also recruiting within the CDNTs. We are also supplementing our assessment of need process by outsourcing. We will outsource 6,000 of those next year. That frees up therapists to work with children to deliver the therapies they need”.