The failure of a Dublin local authority to review a housing case involving a child with a disability affected the child's quality of life, freedom, independence and dignity, the Ombudsman for Children has found.
Emily Logan said she had received a complaint in 2005 from the mother of a child with an advanced form of a progressive and disabling disease about the manner in which her application for suitable housing had been handled by Fingal County Council.
Children's Ombudsman Emily Logan
The ombudsman, Emily Logan, said the mother complained that she made an application to the housing authority in 2000 on the basis of her son's long-term needs.
She did not accept the initial offer of a house as it had not been adapted for her son," Ms Logan said in her findings published today.
"The case was not reviewed for a period of almost four years despite numerous approaches to the local authority by advocates including medical professionals during which time her son's physical health had deteriorated."
The ombudsman's office investigated and found the woman's case had not been reviewed by the council from December 2000 to August 2004. In that period, 11 "identical, generic letters" were sent to the child's mother and her advocates.
"Four years is a long time in any child's life but it is an inordinate amount of time for a child with a progressive illness. Timeliness is crucial when making decisions that affect children," Ms Logan said.
"The inaction by the local authority, which delayed the decision to find suitable housing for the family, had adversely affected the child. This has affected the child's general quality of life, freedom, independence and dignity.
"It is important to note that Fingal County Council has responded positively to my report and has already taken steps to implement some of my recommendations.
Emily Logan
The family involved has been offered a house, which is currently being assessed by an architect and occupational therapist to determine how it can be adapted to meet the child's needs," Ms Logan said.
However, she said she had concerns on a broader level that "no appropriate mechanisms exist for inter-agency cooperation when it comes to considering and meeting the holistic needs of children with a disability".
She urged the relevant departments to consider remedying this "as a matter of priority".
Ms Logan said her office was an "independent, impartial complaints handling service".
The aim in publishing her report was to "increase awareness among public bodies of the importance of providing appropriate, timely services for children".
"I believe that this case illustrates the negative consequences of inaction for children and their families," she said.
Ms Logan has written to the Department of the Environment to invite officials to meet her to discuss related public policy issues concerning children.
People with Disabilities Ireland (PwDI) the organisation representing all people with disabilities in the State said the case, unfortunately, had come as "no surprise".
"The housing adaptation issue is fraught with problems," said PwDI chief executive Michael Ringrose.
"People with disabilities experience colossal and unnecessary delays between the identification of need and the actual delivery of the service," he said.
"Others give up on the process because they cannot meet the outdated criteria. In the context of the €184 billion national development plan, so far it is merely a spending plan. PwDI awaits identification of the specific benefits and supports it will actually deliver. That will be the acid test as to whether or not it actually delivers real change in the daily lives of people with disabilities," Mr Ringrose said.