Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 18 December 2025
27. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if recruitment has commenced for the expansion of the 11 proposed inreach specialist teams, and for the additional assessment and liaison officers announced as part of the recent reforms to the assessment of need process; the number of positions approved; the roles being recruited for; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72282/25]
View answerUnder the Disability Act, an Assessment of Need is an assessment process carried out by the HSE where a person is of the opinion that he/she may have a disability, for anyone born after 1st June 2002. It first establishes whether the person has a disability (as defined within the Act). It then identifies the health and education needs of the person with a disability and the services required to meet those needs.
On December 9th, Government announced a series of reforms to the Assessment of Need process which will make the process more effective and efficient for children and families. These reforms include changes to Part 2 of the Disability Act, 2005, which provides for Assessments of Need.
The General Scheme of the Disability (Amendment) Bill 2025 was approved by Government on 9 December and will be published on the Department’s website shortly. As part of the development of the General Scheme, a Regulatory Impact Assessment was prepared, and this will also be published.
These changes will not remove any rights for parents to apply for an Assessment of Need for their child, nor will they alter the statutory six-month timeline set out in the Disability Act.
Ensuring that there are sufficient resources allocated to the delivery of the Assessment of Need process, both in terms of staffing and financial resources, continues to be focus for the Department and the HSE.
In 2026, the HSE is establishing eleven new teams, initially, to support HSE assessment processes, including Assessments of Need. Each team will include a psychologist, a speech and language therapist, an occupational therapist, and an administrator, to provide clinical guidance where required throughout the process.
Work is also ongoing to increase the staffing capacity of the HSE Assessment of Need Teams including assessment officers, liaison officers and administrative supports.
Budget 2026 also provides €20million in funding for the continuation of the Targeted Waitlist Initiative. This supports the delivery of Assessments of Need to those families who have been waiting the longest, through the procurement of clinical assessments from approved private providers.
Recent HSE data shows that over 6,300 clinical assessments have been commissioned from private providers since the Initiative started in June 2024. It is expected that a further 6,000 clinical assessments will be commissioned in 2026.
The provision of an effective and efficient Assessment of Need system continues to be a priority for Government.
