Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 18 December 2025
74. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if the recently announced reforms to the assessment of need process will address regional disparities, especially in Cork where there are severe shortages; if regions with the longest waiting lists will receive priority hiring and deployment of in reach teams; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72283/25]
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 on/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.
Application numbers for the four Cork LHOs increased by 29% to 1,497 in the first nine months of this year compared to the same period in 2024. At the same time, the number of completed assessment of need reports increased by 15.5% to 760 for the same period compared to 2024. This is in line with an overall increase in both applications and in completed reports nationally.
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 and move towards more assessments being delivered within the statutory 6-month timeframe.
These reforms will include legislative changes to Part 2 of the Disability Act 2005, which addresses Assessment of Need. 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.
As part of the reforms to the Assessment of Need process, additional supports will be provided for the assessment officers including:
• The development of new statutory guidelines to ensure that Assessments of Need focus on identifying a child’s needs, engaging in more intensive assessments only where required to identify those needs.
• The establishment by the HSE of 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, providing clinical guidance where required throughout the process. The final design, specific functions and locations of the teams are currently being finalised by the HSE.
• A continued focus by the HSE on the training and development of assessment officers.
The Department is also working with the HSE to identify further opportunities to enhance processes and increase administrative supports for HSE assessment officers.
The provision of an effective and efficient Assessment of Need system continues to be a priority for the Government.
