Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 18 December 2025
51. Deputy Cathy Bennett asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of children in Cavan and Monaghan who received an assessment of need within the statutory timeframe in the years 2020 to date; and the number who have not. [72968/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe delivery of an effective, efficient Assessment of Need system is a priority for the Government. There has been intensive work by the Department of Children, Disability and Equality and the HSE to address delays in the provision of Assessments of Need.
Under 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.
It is important to note that children do not require an Assessment of Need to access health services, including Primary Care, Children’s Disability Network Teams or Mental Health Services.
However, demand for Assessments of Need has increased significantly in recent years, reflecting both the increase in population and the number of families exploring all options to access services for their child.
HSE provides Assessment of Need data on a quarterly basis at Local Health Office (LHO) and Regional Health Area level but has advised this data is not available on a county level. The table below sets out number of assessment of need reports completed within the timeframes set out in the Disability Act 2005 and accompanying Regulations for the Cavan/Monaghan LHO for the full years 2020-2024. Full year data for 2025 is not yet available.
Assessment Reports Completed in Cavan/Monaghan LHO
|
Year |
Total Completed |
Within Statutory Timeline |
Outside of Timeline |
|
2020 |
153 |
13 |
140 |
|
2021 |
170 |
112 |
58 |
|
2022 |
108 |
72 |
36 |
|
2023 |
279 |
12 |
267 |
|
2024 |
66 |
7 |
59 |
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 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 9th December and will be published on the Department’s website shortly.
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.
Other aspects of the reform include:
• The development of statutory guidelines to ensure that AONs focus on identifying a child’s needs, engaging in more intensive assessments only where required to identify need. This should help reduce delays and allow therapists to spend more time delivering services.
• 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 throughout the process.
The provision of an effective and efficient Assessment of Need system continues to be a priority for the Government.
