Richard Boyd Barrett says bill could 'cull' assessment lists
Richard Boyd Barrett criticised the Government’s bill on assessment of need during an Oireachtas debate, arguing that it fails to address long waiting lists for children with disabilities. The People Before Profit TD said the legislation could reduce eligibility and remove children from assessment lists rather than tackle staffing shortages and delayed supports.
Assessment waiting lists
Boyd Barrett referred to figures indicating that 28,000 children are waiting for assessments of need. He said many children face further delays in accessing services after assessment, with parents concerned about the lifelong impact of missed diagnoses and inadequate supports.
Staffing shortages in CDNTs
The People Before Profit TD argued that Child and Disability Network Teams are significantly understaffed. He said the Government had failed to recruit enough staff to complete assessments and provide the services, resources and supports required by children with disabilities.
Concerns over eligibility rules
Boyd Barrett questioned the proposed change in the definition of disability from disability to “substantial restriction”. He asked what would define a substantial restriction and argued that changing the definition would not resolve the underlying waiting-list problem.
Children removed from lists
He also criticised provisions that could allow people to be removed from waiting lists if they do not respond to correspondence. Boyd Barrett said families dealing with housing stress or crisis could miss letters, only to face reinstatement at the bottom of the list.
Section 6 and ministerial guidelines
Boyd Barrett raised concerns about Section 6, which would give the Minister powers to introduce statutory guidelines. He said existing assessment-of-need guidelines were already in place and argued that the Government had not explained why new powers were required. Watch the recording to hear the full contribution.
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Yeah so the fact that the government are bringing this bill before us is an admission that the government have failed and are failing tens of thousands of the most vulnerable children in our society and the minister in introducing the bill says she's mindful mindful of the fact that they are failing by referring to the unacceptable waiting lists for assessment of needs and she talks about the frustration that parents and families have and the impact of the children and then puts forward a bill which does absolutely nothing about that does absolutely nothing at all about it and doesn't even explain she doesn't even bother to explain what the purpose of this bill is and how it's going to impact on the problem that she sort of half-heartedly or briefly acknowledges the unacceptable failure of the state of the most vulnerable in our society to provide them with the assessments of needs that they need 28,000 people not having their assessments of children should I say children vulnerable children with special needs and disability not getting their assessments and then when they do finally get those assessments after long waits not getting the services they need and we get a bill from the government which it looks as if it looks as if is designed to cull the lists it's difficult to read it's certainly not going to deal with the fundamental problem which is that the CD&Ts are massively understaffed massively understaffed and that you have failed to recruit the people necessary to staff the child and disability network teams in order to do the assessments and even more importantly to provide the services and supports and resources that children need that are absolutely critical that their parents are up the wall about because they know it's going to have a lifelong impact on their children and the failure to get a diagnosis can then compound situations in terms of mental health problems that the children suffer or getting bounced between CD&Ts and CAMs and this is very concerning about this change in the definition of disability from disability to substantial restriction. What does that mean? Substantial. What defines substantial? And why does a change in definition address the problem? It is difficult not to suspect that what's happening here is you're reducing making it more difficult for people to get the services and supports they need rather than address the fundamental problem and have the right to take people off the list because of course when people are waiting this long lots of people are being forced to go private and where have we seen that story? We see that story in every single public service situation. Long waiting lists forcing people to go private leaving the poorest the least well off on the lists and we can also take them off if they don't reply to letters when of course people who are most vulnerable most stressed with housing situations and often housing crisis situations overlap with children in with these sort of needs that they mightn't reply to letters then they get taken off a list then they realize they're off the list and they seek reinstatement but they're put to the bottom of the list again. It's really unbelievable it's unbelievable but it looks unless the government can tell us otherwise that this is about this is about culling the lists and reducing the eligibility for the things that are necessary. Section 6 also these statutory guidelines giving the power the Minister for statutory guidelines we don't know what they are but we already have assessment of need guidelines why does the Minister need this new power and we're being asked to pass the legislation where we already have guidelines but now we're going to give the Minister the power to pass new guidelines which they haven't told us about and we don't know what they are it really stinks it stinks Minister and it's certainly not going to address the problem but it looks like culling the lists.
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