Demand for children’s disability services far exceed resources available, federation warns

The Disability Federation of Ireland has warned that many families get lost in the system, struggling to move from referral to assessment and trying to navigate the complex service structure.
Demand for disability services from children far exceeds the services and staff available, the Disability Federation of Ireland has warned.
Chief executive Elaine Teague's comments come as families highlight long waits for all kinds of therapists and vital dentistry services.
The federation is an umbrella body for organisations working with people with disabilities. These include Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind, ADHD Ireland, Cheshire Ireland, Enable Ireland and others.
While the public debate focuses on the State’s children’s disability network teams, these groups are seeing pressures also.
“The current reality is that demand for children’s disability services far exceeds the resources available,” she warned.
“A major concern is the risk of service gaps when people move between different types of care or age-based support systems.”
A child with disabilities might rely on a number of services including a children’s disability network team, Child & Adolescent Mental Health Services (Camhs), primary care centres and others.
“Many families get lost in the system, struggling to move from referral to assessment and trying to navigate the complex service structure,” she said.
This is especially acute when transferring between different services, she said.
There is “a lack of integration” between Camhs and other services in just one example, she added.
For their member groups, she said a key principle is “disabled children grow up with, not out of their disability”.
However, the barriers parents face as young children become teens and then young adults indicate the system does not recognise this.
“There are major gaps in services when young people move from children to adult services, and in many cases, there are no adult services available to them,” she said.
They have seen a child’s support simply “disappear once they reach a certain age”, she said.
Some of the federation groups sit outside the State’s Progressing Disabilities programme which includes the children’s disability network teams.
Some were set up by parents in answer to “gaps in condition-specific service provision and expertise”, she explained.
She said they play “a vital role” in filling gaps the State services do not reach. However, this is not always appreciated she feels.
“Organisations such as these outside the Progressing Disability Services model are not currently included in any formal decision-making structures at either regional or national level of children services,” she said.
In addition despite providing everyday services, most rely on fundraising to keep going. This is sometimes supplemented by funding from the HSE or National Lottery.
“The rising cost of living and inflation is making it even harder for these organisations to survive,” she warned.
The federation's children’s services advisory group met with Bernard O'Regan, the HSE disability lead for children’s services, earlier this month to raise these issues.