Speaking in the Seanad, the County Limerick politician asked Minister of State at the Department of Children, Hildegarde Naughton “to commit to developing a sustainable model of summer supports for children with additional needs – one that ensures equitable access, regardless of geography”.
“In previous years, Enable Ireland and other service providers would have secured places within private summer camps to enable children with additional needs a chance to attend. These are not just social outings; they are crucial developmental and support spaces, both for the children and their families. Unfortunately, this year, Enable Ireland has had to cancel these places due to a lack of staff and growing pressure on their limited resources, a situation echoed across the disability sector,” Senator Collins explained.
Addressing the need for these services in County Limerick, Collins said she has spoken directly with two families from Kilmallock whose children have additional needs and previously attended a summer camp.
“However, due to a lack of nearby services, they were forced to travel to the University of Limerick to access any structured support. This year, even that option is unavailable. There are no dedicated summer camp places in County Limerick for children with additional needs.
“It is an access issue. And it is rooted in systemic under-resourcing of the disability sector, particularly in staffing. Service providers are doing their best under extraordinary pressure, but they are being left without the resources to deliver even the most basic of seasonal supports.”
Senator Collins urged the Minister to do better for children with additional needs, and for the families who are being failed year after year. She asked that this issue be treated not as a seasonal inconvenience, but as a structural failure that demands immediate and specific action.
While welcoming the Minister’s response on current programmes and increased funding in the sector Senator Collins suggested that “perhaps training and newly qualified SNAs or teachers could have a role in supporting children with additional needs at summer camps in paid positions which would also count as part of placements or work experience modules.”
Senator Collins deemed it “profoundly unjust” that while children in mainstream education can avail of summer camps in their local communities — often with multiple options each week, depending on what their families can afford — children with disabilities are effectively excluded.
“And in this case, no matter how much a family might be willing to pay or how far they’re willing to travel, the supports simply do not exist.”
Replying to Senator Collins, the Minister stated: “The big elephant in the room is the shortage of supply of staff. We need to be innovative in how we do that and make sure the safeguards are there and the expertise is there. That is at the heart of what we want to provide. We are increasing the funding. We have bursaries and we have incentives for people to work within the disability service.”
