Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 18 December 2025
82. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the details of the way in which she envisages the new assessment of need process working; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72890/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraUnder 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.
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.
It is also 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.
The proposed legislative changes to the Disability Act 2005 are intended to support more effective delivery of Assessments of Need, and to provide clearer guidance and supports so that the process can be made more efficient, reduce delays and allow therapists to spend more time delivering services.
Key features of the bill are to include:
• An increased focus on the identification of a person’s needs and the services to meet those needs, rather than on the nature of their disability.
• The creation of statutory guidelines to support and enhance the decision-making capacity of HSE assessment officers, who are responsible for the production of assessment of need reports.
• A focus on the use of appropriate and proportionate clinical assessment(s) during the assessment of need process to ensure that they should only be used where required to establish the child’s needs.
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 a focus for the Department and the HSE. This includes a number of measures:
• The Assessment of Need Targeted Waitlist Initiative was introduced in May 2024 to support the delivery of Assessments of Need to those families who have been waiting longest. Under this Initiative, the HSE provides for 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. Budget 2026 provides for the continuation of this Initiative next year with €20 million provided for the delivery of some 6,000 clinical assessments.
• In 2026, the HSE is also 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 ongoing to increase the staffing capacity of the HSE Assessment of Need Teams including assessment officers, liaison officers and administrative supports.
The provision of an effective and efficient Assessment of Need system continues to be a priority for the Government.
