Cara Darmody: What use is a recruitment campaign nobody knows about?
Disability Rights campaigner Cara Darmody finishing up her protest over outside Leinster House Assessments of Needs waiting lists. Photo: SAM BOAL/Collins Photos
Six months ago, I did something that no other teenager has ever done before. I held a 50-hour sleepout at Leinster House to raise national awareness of the disgraceful Assessments of Needs waiting lists.
At the time, there were just over 15,000 children waiting to be assessed, and it’s accepted across the board that damage is caused to children with disabilities when they don’t get what is called ‘early intervention’.
Three different Taoisigh promised me over the last three years that change would come and that autistic children would get the therapies and assessments that they require in a timely manner. Those promises were broken.
That was the reason for my protest last May and I was very clear that if change didn’t happen, I would again return to highlight a grave injustice for children with disabilities.
But it’s actually even more than a grave injustice — the Government is systematically breaking the law on this issue. Let me explain how.
They have a maximum of six months to assess an autistic child and to establish what services they need. In 93% of cases they don’t do it within six months, and it often takes several years.
So last May during my protest, I once again pointed out that the Cabinet is smashing the Assessments of Needs law. Their response was to acknowledge it, but to say that “it’s a technical kind of breaking the law”.
The Taoiseach even went a step further in the Dáil when he said: “The HSE is not in a position to comply with the law at this time.” That’s not acceptable. The Cabinet must now find a way to stop breaking the Assessments of Needs law, as the failure to do so damages their credibility.
Now I must give credit where credit is due. I received an incredible letter on the day of the budget two months ago from Tánaiste Simon Harris, stating that €20 million of Government funding was going to what he calls 'Cara’s Fund', a mechanism set up to deal with people waiting longest for Assessments of Need.
He also granted my asks to retain the legal right to an assessment, to not interfere with the six month timeline to assess, and to lay any new disability law in front of the Dáil by January 2026.
I sincerely thank him and the Government for those commitments and for the funding. The one ask that didn’t happen was to activate an emergency plan for recruitment of therapists. A national recruitment campaign did occur, but it was like the Third Secret of Fatima.
I spoke to private providers who hadn’t heard of the recruitment campaign. Even HSE therapists that we spoke to weren’t aware that their own organisation was recruiting.
And not one politician that I spoke to was aware of it, including Opposition party leaders. That is not the way to recruit therapists when children are suffering permanent damage.
And then I found out that, despite all of the promises made to me that things would improve, the Assessments of Needs waiting list has escalated from 15,000 to well over 18,000. It’s a national disgrace that I cannot ignore.
So I’m returning to Leinster House for another 50-hour protest, starting at 11am today. While the last one was really difficult, this one will be hell on earth as I’ll have to battle the hardship weather of December.
But my pain and suffering is merely a symbol of the daily pain and suffering incurred by the thousands and thousands of families across Ireland whose children with disabilities are suffering permanent damage by not getting proper access to therapies and services.
At 11am today, I will pitch my tent again at the front gates of Leinster House and speak to as many politicians as possible about what needs to be done to solve this crisis.
The big ask that I’ll have on Tuesday will be for the Government to activate an immediate emergency plan to find therapists. Over the last two weeks, I’ve met with the relevant ministers connected with disability, namely Norma Foley and Emer Higgins.
The meetings couldn’t have been more constructive, but I’ve made it so clear to them that we cannot solve this issue if we cannot find therapists and psychologists.
I explained to them that I brought the commercial director of a large British health company to my house for a meeting. They have access to 2,300 therapists and would be willing to come to Ireland. If we can’t find therapists in Ireland, we must look abroad.
Every time that the Taoiseach is questioned about this issue, he uses the excuse of not being able to find therapists. If I can find a huge company willing to come to Ireland, then why can’t our Government do that with their huge resources.
Whether a parent requires an Assessment of Need for their child, or just wants therapies and services, the common denominator is that we need therapists, full-stop.
The time has come to stop making excuses and find them. And only the activation of an emergency plan of action will lead us to the promised land.
- Cara Darmody is an autism campaigner from Tipperary.
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