Disability services in Clonmel
Deputy McGrath raised poor disability and education services in Clonmel, including school places, therapy access and recruitment to CDNTs. The Tánaiste said he would speak to the relevant bodies and Ministers, and criticised the progressing disability services model.
On Saturday, 600 people marched in Clonmel begging for improved services for people with disabilities. We heard testimonies of patients whose children have no school places for September and almost have to travel to Mayo from Tipperary to get a psychological appointment. We heard stories of efforts to recruit staff to the children's disability network teams, CDNTs, which have been unsuccessful. Accommodation in Clonmel is a problem for that as well. I raised this with the Tánaiste last week and he acknowledged there was a problem. The organising committee, Action for Autism, thanks him for that and now wants him to come to see them. I handed the Tánaiste a number of letters they sent to me that detail very personal accounts of their trauma and journeys with their children. I want the Tánaiste to visit Scoil Aonghusa and Scoil Chormaic in Cashel, two wonderful schools that are bursting at the seams. They have invited the Tánaiste to come and see that for himself. Services are just not there. The Tánaiste acknowledged last week that it was not working. We need to come together to do something for these people.
I met another young mother who has a five-year old child who is non-verbal and has not met or been assessed by anyone. It is very frustrating. I ask the Tánaiste to please do something if he can.
Comment on this
The Deputy did raise that issue. I will talk to the HSE, the National Council for Special Education and the Department of Education and I will ask the Minister for Education, and the Minister for Health in respect of the CDNTs, to come back to the Deputy on this. As I said earlier, we need multidisciplinary teams in schools. The progressing disability services programme has not worked. It has not been effective and quite a number of communities have been impacted negatively by the withdrawal of therapists from special schools in particular over the years as a result of implementation of the progressing disability services programme. I have argued this with the HSE. My view now is that the sufficiency of recruitment has not worked in terms of some CDNTs. There will have to be change and my preference is for stronger multidisciplinary teams in special schools.