'They can’t keep doing this to our children': Protests at failures in disability services

People attending one of yesterday's three protests organised by Families Unite for Services and Support (FUSS) in support of families seeking improvements to disability services. Picture: Larry Cummins

Massive state investment in disability services is not delivering for children who need it, the Minister of State with Responsibility for Disabilities has acknowledged.

Anne Rabbitte's admission comes as hundreds of families marched through Dublin, Cork, and Wexford to highlight the failed rollout of the progressing disability services (PDS) policy, and to call for a complete overhaul of the system.

They warned politicians that their jobs are on the line if they don’t fix it.

 Writing in the Irish Examiner, Ms Rabbitte says that, while tens of millions of euro is going into the delivery of children’s therapies, the investment, in some cases, is not delivering for children or parents in its current form.

She confirmed that there are plans to audit the service over the coming months to identify what elements are not working.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin has also accepted failings in the provision of disability services.

“We have allocated resources for more therapists,” he said. 

We don’t want to see children losing access to services or reducing access to services. We do need to review this in its entirety. 

Earlier, people attending the Families Unite for Services and Support (FUSS) protests highlighted distressing personal stories of the constant , exhausting, and grinding battle with the HSE to get access to basic services and supports.

Katie Byrne, 15, from Cobh in Co Cork, who has cerebral palsy, underwent life-changing surgery in the US some years ago which allowed her to walk. But she told the Cork rally she has not had physiotherapy in two years.

“We need extra help to be able to live our lives to the best of our abilities and when you don’t do what you are elected or employed to do, you are failing every one of us,” she said.

“If this was any other job that you are all failing at, you would all be fired on the spot.

Remember this — people like me will be old enough to vote one day and we will be among the people who will decide if you keep your job or not. 

Rally coordinator Rebecca O’Riordan’s voice cracked with emotion as she sent a message to the Government.

“They can’t keep doing this to our children,” she said. “Together we can do it — so now we march, and we’ll keep marching and we’ll keep giving out, and we’ll keep making a fuss, for as long as it takes because we will not be silenced.

“And we will not put up with a Government who does not think that our children are not worth helping.”

Julie Anne Cunneen, from Upper Glanmire, the sole carer for her son, Liam, 15, said they feel abandoned by the Government and the HSE.

“We feel very alone, very neglected,” she said. “Liam needs occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, a whole suite of services, but he’s just not getting them. I have no respite, no home support, no home help — nothing.”

15-year-old Liam Cunneen attended one of the protests seeking improvements to disability services. Picture: Larry Cummins

Gavin Owens, from Carrigaline, said his sons, Daithí, nine, and Tomás, eight, who were diagnosed with autism following private assessments, have never been assessed by the HSE.

“We got three two-hour parenting sessions — that’s been the extent of intervention from the HSE,” he said.