Cavan CDNT vacancies
Deputy Tully highlighted severe staffing vacancies in the Cavan community disability network team and the high cost to families of private therapy. The Minister said the road map included short-term measures, including international recruitment and new assistant therapy grades, to help staff teams more quickly.
Athenry town and its environs are thankfully experiencing major population growth. However, it is putting major pressure on enrolment in the post-primary schools in the town. Arising from accurate data pulled together by school leaders in Athenry town, we now know we are potentially going to have a shortage of up to 100 secondary school places next September. This was flagged to the Minister and her officials as much as two years ago. I urge the Minister, Deputy McEntee, to engage immediately with the Minister for Education, Deputy Foley, so we can look for a solution that will work for Athenry and that will be live by September next year. It is possible to do that and it needs to be done.
Comment on this
I raise the issue of the high level of vacancy in the CDNT in Cavan, which is operated by Enable Ireland. There are currently more vacancies than staff in the team.
There are 10.32 whole time equivalents employed in the service but 14.78 vacancies. I know of one couple who have spent in excess of €15,000 for private therapy and assessments for their children. The Minister, Deputy O’Gorman, and the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, have produced a road map for service provision and I am hoping those actions will make a difference but they will take time. What services and supports can be put in place now to help children who require the help now?
Comment on this
I will ask the Minister, Deputy Foley, to respond immediately. It is really important that our children have school places and I acknowledge that. I will get a response as quickly as possible.
Comment on this
Deputy Brendan Smith raised this earlier. The road map sets out short- and medium-term solutions. On the shorter term solutions, it is the international recruitment that we are undertaking right now to look to bring in those therapists, the OTs and speech and language therapists, to relocate them here to Ireland to staff-up teams like that. We are doing that along with the introduction of the new assistant therapy grades, which are level 5 grades that can come in quickly and provide some interventions under the instruction of a therapist to help children and ultimately help their families as well.