THE Department of Children, Disability, and Equality (DCDE) said it “acknowledges the challenges faced by parents of children with additional needs in accessing assessments and vital therapy services in the Mid West region”, after it was revealed that almost 11,000 children were on waiting lists to see a HSE Children’s Disability Network Team CDNT) at the end of June.
The DCDE said that, despite the waiting lists – which included more than 7,000 children waiting for their first contact with CDNT – “substantial effort and investment continues to be applied to improving access to key services and interventions”.
More than 1,150 children with complex health issues in Limerick, Clare, and North Tipperary were waiting for an assessment and support. 616 of these waiting more than a year for an initial contact.
Commenting on the “disgraceful” figures, Limerick Sinn Féin TD Maurice Quinlivan said that “these children are being failed by the government, and the CDNT model that is intended to provide family-centered care is now synonymous with delays and abandonment”.
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When asked for a response, the DCDE said that “the number of children seeking to access CDNT services has grown. 44,232 children are on open CDNT caseloads in June 2025, which is an increase of 9.2 per cent on the same period in 2023.”
The DCDE noted a “33.7 per cent decrease in the number of children on CDNT waiting lists for the same period, down from 16,522 in June 2023 to 10,961 in June 2025”.
“16,018 children and/or their parents were offered an initial contact, one or more individual and/or group interventions in June 2025, compared with 12,598 in December 2024.
“1,205 children and/or their families participated in one or more individual and/or group intervention appointments in June, up from 722 children in December 2024.”
The DCDE said “key improvements” to date stemmed from the implementation of the Roadmap for Service Improvement for 2023 to 2026.
CDNT workforce increased to 1,866 whole-time equivalents (WTE), a year-on-year growth of 17 per cent from October 2023.
The department said that “while progress made is encouraging, it is evident that more needs to be done to fully staff the CDNTs and to achieve the level, quality, and types of service that is expected”.
It said €3.2billion had been allocated for disability services in Budget 2025, “an overall increase since 2020 of €1.2bn”.
In the Mid West, the HSE’s figures showed that 616 children waiting more than 12 months for an initial CDNT contact; 256 children waiting 7-12 months; 143 waiting 4-6 months; and 137 waiting up to three months.
Deputy Quinlivan said the government cannot continue “to under-resource services for these children while claiming to uphold equality and inclusion”.
“It is an absolute disgrace that these children are currently on waiting lists for assessment and support from CDNTs. This is a systemic failure, and it will only continue to get worse if it is not addressed head on.”
The Sinn Fein TD said that “children are routinely waiting years for assessments”.
“Families are being told there is no one available to see their child. How is a child supposed to reach their full potential without these crucial supports?”
He warned that development in childhood “happens fast” and “does not wait for staffing issues to be solved”.
“Without fully-staffed teams, speech may not emerge, motor skills may regress, behavioural challenges may escalate, and families will become exhausted and isolated.
“It is not fair that the children and their families are the ones who are suffering just because the government can’t get their act together.
“Children deserve timely assessment and intervention to give them the best chance at success.”