25 signatures reached
To: The Minister for Education (Hildegarde Naughton) & The Minister for Disability (Norma Foley)
Over 18,000 Children in Ireland Waiting for Assessment of Needs
- Address the 18,000 Children Waiting for an Assessment of Needs, 1,953 of them in Kildare
- Reworking of the Capital Works Management Framework to Fast Track School Expansions
- Better Funding for Primary Care Psychologists
- Address the 11,000 Children Waiting for Initial Contact from CDNT (Childrens Disability Network Team)
- Ensure full staffing of CDNT - currently there are 14 vacancies across the Kildare region.
- Call on the Government to set a specific target date for compliance with the State's legal obligations to provide an assessment of needs within six months.
- Restructure the July Provision Programme to Address Overburdened Respite Services
Why is this important?
Right now, over 18,000 children across the country are overdue for an Assessment of Needs, 1,953 of them here in Kildare alone. Families are exhausted, stressed, and fighting a system that has failed them at every turn. From endless waits for primary care psychology, to 11,000 children stuck in limbo waiting for a first contact from CDNTs, to the scramble for school places and supports that simply aren’t there parents are being pushed to breaking point.
Many families are trying to ensure there is early intervention for their child but are being left without vital supports. We have actually seen a reduction in the number of Speech and Language Therapists qualifying. It has gone from 370 in the academic year before the pandemic to 355 last year. The number of therapists qualifying each year is reducing and on the other hand the government are scratching their heads wondering why they can’t fill the vacant therapist posts in CDNTs.
Children in schools are being let down too. Despite asserting that children don't need an assessment of needs to qualify for supports Parents, Teachers and school Principals know that resources are limited and children with an AON are prioritised. The Minister for Disability has announced a streamlining process for AON but hasn't detailed how this will be acomplished or set a timeline for compliance with the obligation for a 6 month assessment period for children.
We also want to see school expansions fast tracked. We hear announcements of funding but it then takes years between design stages, the tendering process, construction and the actual delivery of new classrooms. Many schools have had to convert classrooms to accommodate children with additional needs.
Please sign the petition so we can put pressure on the Government to deliver for the children in Kildare and across the country.
Many families are trying to ensure there is early intervention for their child but are being left without vital supports. We have actually seen a reduction in the number of Speech and Language Therapists qualifying. It has gone from 370 in the academic year before the pandemic to 355 last year. The number of therapists qualifying each year is reducing and on the other hand the government are scratching their heads wondering why they can’t fill the vacant therapist posts in CDNTs.
Children in schools are being let down too. Despite asserting that children don't need an assessment of needs to qualify for supports Parents, Teachers and school Principals know that resources are limited and children with an AON are prioritised. The Minister for Disability has announced a streamlining process for AON but hasn't detailed how this will be acomplished or set a timeline for compliance with the obligation for a 6 month assessment period for children.
We also want to see school expansions fast tracked. We hear announcements of funding but it then takes years between design stages, the tendering process, construction and the actual delivery of new classrooms. Many schools have had to convert classrooms to accommodate children with additional needs.
Please sign the petition so we can put pressure on the Government to deliver for the children in Kildare and across the country.
Melissa Byrne
How it will be delivered
Once we've collected enough signatures we will send this petition to the Taoiseach, The Minister for Education and The Minister for Disability.