'Utterly outrageous' that 17,000 children with disabilities waiting for assessment of need

Families are now waiting more than two years on average for the assessment process. File picture

Ahead of a new school year, almost 17,000 children are now overdue an assessment of need, hundreds more than at the same point last year.

New figures show 16,593 children were classed by the HSE as "overdue" for an assessment of need (AON) at the end of June.

Under the law, children are legally entitled to an assessment of need within six months of applying, and the process is intended to help children access relevant services and supports.

However, families are now waiting more than two years on average for the assessment process. 

The number of families “overdue” for assessment at the end of June represents an increase of 12% when compared to June 2024.

Meanwhile, during the first half of the year, the HSE completed 2,928 assessments of need. A further 4,976 have been commissioned from private providers or assessors from June 2024 to June 2025. 

About €6.89m was allocated by the previous government for the targeted waiting list initiative, which commenced at the end of May 2024.

"People with disabilities are being left behind and failed by this Government," said Labour's spokesperson on disability Laura Harmon. 

Just under 3,000 children received an assessment of need by the end of June of this year, she added. "It’s deeply behind where we should be."

The response from the HSE reveals the average wait duration of the assessment process is now up to 24.93 months, she said. 

It’s utterly outrageous. Parents are left to fend for themselves, forced to wait months on end for diagnoses, then even longer for assessment. The system simply isn’t working.

A child without the right diagnosis or assessment is left without proper classroom support, she added. 

"That means falling behind in school, struggling in unsuitable classrooms, and missing out on key years of their education. The damage doesn’t end there — these setbacks have knock-on effects on a child’s confidence, their development and their ability to succeed in later life." 

In its response, the HSE said it was engaging with the Department of Education to remove school principals’ requirement that an assessment of need report was needed to determine educational need.

The increased numbers of applications is a reflection of the increase in population and of families exploring all options for accessing services for their child, it added. 

"However, an AON is not required to access primary care, children’s disability services, mental health services or any health and social care service providing services, including assessment, goals setting, intervention and follow up services." 

The situation is not the same in every area, it added. "The numbers of applications in some areas have historically been significantly lower than other areas. This reflects a service model used in those areas to engage with families as soon as practicable and support them to access services without them having to resort to the AON legal route."