Children's disability network vacancies
Paul Lawless highlighted severe staffing shortages in children's disability network teams, especially in Mayo, and said a vacant post was even removed instead of filled. The Taoiseach pointed to increased funding, falling waiting lists and lower vacancy rates, while the Deputy tried to raise the vacancies again.
I rise today to speak for children with disabilities and their families. Children's disability network teams, CDNTs, are meant to be the backbone of early intervention in this country, but that backbone is well and truly broken. The teams are chronically understaffed and the consequences are devastating. In Mayo, no CDNT is fully staffed. Mayo north has four full-time vacancies, Mayo south has three and a half vacancies and Mayo west has almost four vacancies. Unbelievably, the HSE tried to remove one of these vacant post as opposed to filling it. Across the broader region of the north and north west, there are 50 vacancies and not a single CDNT that is fully staffed. This means families waiting years for therapies for children with disabilities. It means missed milestones and parents begging for updates. Of course, it means children are moving from one waiting list to another like paperwork. When will the Taoiseach intervene and sort out this crisis not just in Mayo but right across the country?
Comment on this
The first thing the Government did when coming into office was to commit to establishing a national in-school therapy service. Within a very short time we will establish it, with €16 million allocated to that in the budget. CDNTs are now supporting almost 45,000 children, an increase of 5% since December last year. Waiting lists have come down by 21%. Workforce capacity within CDNTs has grown significantly; it has increased by 26%. The vacancy rate in CDNTs nationally has fallen from 29% in 2023 to 18% today. Resources have increased for CDNTs. Many of the issues are related to recruitment, not funding. It is about getting people in. With that in mind, we have created additional places in colleges.
