The HSE should publicly account for thousands of young people with disabilities who are languishing on assessment waiting lists despite measures being introduced to reduce the numbers, the Ombudsman for Children has said.
Dr Niall Muldoon said almost 4,000 children were currently awaiting an assessment of needs even though a revised Standard Operation Procedure (SOP) and other measures were brought in.
“If children have not even been assessed, how will they receive the services they need?” he said in a statement.
Citing the case of one six-year-old boy awaiting an assessment for four years, he said the HSE must appear before the Oireachtas to explain the resurgent build-up in cases and what is being done to address them.
“We are still receiving complaints from parents of children who are waiting very long periods for an Assessment of Need and subsequently for the services they require. This is extremely distressing considering the fact that early intervention is vital to securing positive outcomes for children,” Dr Muldoon said.
The extensive waiting lists come just over a year after the publication of Unmet Needs, a report on the challenges faced by children with disabilities requiring an assessment.
“Assessment of Need delays are not a Covid problem,” he said. “This has been an issue for many years…children with disabilities are not being given the opportunity to reach their potential as a result of this failing.”
He called for the publication of the average waiting time for an assessment and which areas of the country are most affected by delays.
