Our next matter is in the name of Senator O'Loughlin. The Minister of State, Deputy Higgins, is very welcome.

I thank the Minister of State for being here. She and the Government have acknowledged that the current system in relation to assessments of need is not fit for purpose. I welcome that, but families in Kildare and nationwide need to see that recognition matched with action, additional staffing, transparent timelines and a very clear plan to eliminate the existing backlog.

We acknowledge that there is a big backlog nationally. When we look at the figures, we can see that the scale of the backlog in CHO 7 in Kildare and west Wicklow is one of the largest in the country. As of May 2025, there were 1,692 children awaiting assessments of need. The majority of those had been waiting for more than six months. That is huge. Basically, when children do not get an assessment of need in a timely manner, it means they must wait longer for speech and language therapy, occupational therapy and early intervention supports. That is a major issue. These delays are not abstract. They have a very meaningful and negative impact on the children and their families, and undermine trust with families. It leaves families navigating crisis after crisis. It leaves them in a situation where applying for early childhood education places and primary school places is very difficult. I always feel that families know best. They know when there are developmental delays. They know when there are issues and their children are facing challenges. However, trying to just explain that without having a formal assessment of need is very difficult when they go looking for a place for their child in a special school or a special class as part of the DARE system within early childhood education. There is no doubt that families are being left behind, particularly those in Kildare.

We need urgent reform and urgent resourcing. It is simply far too long for children to have to wait for these vital healthcare services. Even when the assessments are carried out, we still see very large numbers of children waiting for the services, but at least they are on the list at that point. At least, they have a chance and an opportunity. For those who are waiting, the waiting list has gone up quite substantially, as I know from speaking to many families. There has been an increase of about 25% over the past two years in the number of families looking for an assessment of need, AON. Families are heartbroken because they want to do the very best for their child. Not having an assessment of need means they do not have the tools to be able to support their child in the way they wish to.

Before I call the Minister of State, I welcome to the Visitors Gallery the students who are guests of Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire. They are all very welcome to Seanad Éireann.

I welcome the students to the Seanad. I thank Senator O'Loughlin for raising this very important issue and giving me the opportunity to talk about assessments of need and the reforms we are introducing in this area.

As the Senator said, Government recognises there are absolutely unacceptable delays in accessing assessments of need, not just in Kildare but right across the country. The Department and the HSE are committed to addressing these delays and ensuring the assessment of need system becomes more efficient and more effective. Demand for assessments of need at a national level has risen significantly. In fact, the number of applications for assessments of need for children has doubled in the past five years. This is reflected in the continued growth in assessment of need applications in the Kildare and west Wicklow local health office area - the Senator's own area.

Last year, there was an 18% increase in demand for assessments of need in the Kildare and west Wicklow area and significant efforts have been made to increase the completion rates of assessments of need in this area. The completion of 162 assessment reports last year represents a marked increase on the figure for the previous year. However, as the Senator said, despite this improvement, the number of children on the waiting list waiting too long is too large. The numbers she outlined in her contribution are stark and highlight the need to do a lot more, not just in Kildare and west Wicklow but at a national level, to ensure assessments of need are completed as soon as possible.

That is why on 9 December, two months ago, the Government announced a series of reforms to the assessment of need process. This will make it more efficient and more effective for children and their families. These reforms include changes to Part 2 of the Disability Act 2005, which provides for assessments of need. It is very important for me to say these changes will not remove any rights for parents to apply for an assessment of need for their child, nor will they alter that statutory six-month timeline I set out in the Disability Act.

The Senator asked in her contribution for the Government to take action. I am pleased to be able to outline some other key action areas we are bringing in with regard to assessments of need and addressing that issue. In addition to these legislative reforms that will go through the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Disability Matters, there are a series of operational actions which are being progressed as a matter of priority. They include the development of statutory guidelines to ensure that assessments of need focus on identifying a child’s needs, engaging in more intensive assessments only where there is an identified need. This should help reduce delays and allow therapists to spend more time delivering services to children. The establishment by the HSE of 11 new teams, initially to support HSE assessment processes, including assessments of need, are also being set up. Each team will include a psychologist, a speech and language therapist, an occupational therapist and an administrator, who will provide clinical guidance to families throughout that process. I also take the opportunity to remind Senators, when they are speaking to families, to encourage them to refer themselves on to our children disability network teams, CDNTs, if they think there is a need. An assessment of need is not required for that.

Government recognises the need for urgency when it comes to addressing delays in the assessment of need system. That is why we are committed to addressing the measures I have outlined, because we want to benefit children and their families.

I thank the Minister of State for her response. I mentioned the figures from last May because I did not have the up-to-date figures but, obviously, since May and December another 500 children went over that period of time. Some 2,125 applications are overdue and, at any level, that is shameful. I acknowledge the Minister of State outlined some of the changes that are being made and I appreciate that and the fact that 11 new teams have been established. I also appreciate the fact the Minister of State mentioned the CDNTs, which are important and give a service. However, I said at the start that families in Kildare need to have action, additional staffing, transparent timelines and a clear plan. In fairness, with 11 new teams, there is extra staffing. There is a plan. We still do not have transparent timelines. We need to have them. That has to be a priority.

As I have outlined, there are a series of reforms being progressed to ensure children can access assessments of need in a timely manner. In addition to this, we are also using measures such as the targeted wait list initiative which was introduced in May 2024. This year, that initiative will support the delivery of 6,000 clinical assessments. That is another one of those actions. There is very much a timeframe for that.

When it comes to staffing, I reassure the Senator that our CDNTs are also recruiting and there will be prioritisation within recruitment for teams that have the highest vacancy rate. If her area is part of that, it will be prioritised. It is about making sure that while we are utilising that private capacity in terms of the targeted wait list initiative, we are also continually investing in improving the public system through training and adding additional clinical and administrative supports. That is all about assisting the HSE assessment and liaison officers throughout that assessment of need process. It is also about ensuring children then have access to the therapies they need. That is why we are making such an effort to ensure our CDNTs get additional resources to be able to support children in that way.