Almost a year after assessment, a mother continues battle for services

IT’S almost a year since David Harte was involved in a pilot assessment programme to see what disabled children like him need.

He’s still waiting for the services that could greatly improve the quality of his life.

David, who is severely disabled and suffers from a rare metabolic disorder, was one of 32 children attending St Vincent’s Centre who had their needs assessed.

His mother, Catherine Harte, is furious that children like her son continue to be treated like second-class citizens by the State. “The Daughters of Charity who run the centre on the Navan Road are doing a great job but they can’t provide the kind of services David and other children like him need if they don’t have money,” said Mrs Harte.

The year-long assessment that concluded early last year recommended that all the children needed a lot of physiotherapy because most of them were confined to wheelchairs.

The children also need speech therapists and a number qualified for some form of education.

But, as yet, the clinical posts needed to fulfil their needs have not been filled because the centre has not got the go-ahead from the Government.

David, who celebrated his 16th birthday last Friday, has been tube-fed since he was born.

A good-humoured child, he can walk and has been “habit trained” to use the toilet, although he does have to wear nappies at night.

“I cannot understand why the Government is proposing to assess every child with a disability if they are not going to follow it up by providing the services they require,” she said.

It takes about three months to assess a child like David because different government departments are involved.

“Physiotherapy and speech therapy are crucial for these children and they haven’t even got that,” she said.

Catherine said she sometimes got tired fighting for the needs of her son and other children like him.

“It would be nice just for once to find out that a service your child requires is available,” she said.

“I didn’t ask for my son to be born the way he was. I know he does not make any form of contribution through PRSI and tax but my husband, Tony, does.”