'We just can't deal with it anymore': Children's disability services gone 'beyond crisis' point as Cork families protest 

Cork parents and children took to the city streets today, protesting the crisis in children’s disability services in Ireland, and a system which they say has gone beyond breaking point.

F.U.S.S. (Families Unite for Services and Support) organised a day of demonstration and action on Saturday, as the group are crying out for improvements to overburdened services and supports for children with disabilities.

It was the third such protest the group of parents and families have staged in Cork, but organisers say little has changed since they first took to the streets, as over 100,00 children are still on wait lists across the country. 

In Cork alone, 10,000 children are on waiting lists for vital therapies, including psychology, occupational therapy, and speech-and-language therapy.

Rebecca O’Riordan, FUSS organiser at today’s protest, said that the real number of children desperately waiting for essential services is "devestatingly" far higher, as outside of the 10,000 children waiting for primary services, there are also children on waiting lists with Child Disability Network Teams (CDNT) and section 39 providers like Brothers of Charity or Enable Ireland.

“Every single person who’s here today has written complaints, has gone to court, rallied politicians, written letters, we literally have nothing else to do but get out on the streets,” she said.

“Every time anyone comes across a politician, we need people to keep asking the question, when are you going to do something about children’s disability services, when is it going to be a priority? We know that as a country we can do amazing things when things are actually in crisis, and this crisis is the biggest one that we’ve seen in 20 years,” she said.

Scarlett Beecher and her mother Susan from Fermoy were out protesting on Grand Parade on Saturday, as Scarlett has been waiting almost two years for a wheelchair that fits. She has outgrown her last wheelchair, that she got when she was eight, and a wheel has also broken off.

She is currently in a borrowed adult chair, that leaves her sitting sideways with no stability, and in pain that brings her to tears.

She says she feels “unsafe” in her current chair, and her old one felt too tight. She said she would feel happy if she got her new chair, but she is disappointed she has to wait so long. 

“It’s really disappointing for my mom, and it’s really disappointing for me, because I have to wait for it, and we just can’t deal with it anymore,” she said.

Gavin Owens from Carrigaline, another FUSS organiser, said he has had to fight tooth and nail to get his two sons, aged eight and nine and both autistic, the education they need and deserve.

“We had to hold our eldest son back a year to be able to find a place for him in an autism unit, and for our other son it’s a constant battle to get him the SNA support he needs,” he said.

“Unbelievably since we entered the system, and we got no support at all, the situation has actually gotten worse. It's beyond words like crisis at this stage, it’s an absolute disaster,” he added.

Yvonne McMahon from Mahon is a single mother of two children, both with additional needs. Her eight year old son has complex needs, is non-verbal, in nappies, and a constant flight risk.

Yvonne fights back tears as she says she is exhausted and frustrated, and feels like she is letting her son down, as she is waiting on a new special needs buggy, as well as occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, psychology, and respite for herself. A lone parent and full time carer, she can't afford any private services for her children. 

“I’m a single parent, I’m doing it on my own, and when you ask for help, you can’t get the help you need,” she said.

“It’s heart-breaking, you’ve got no services, you’ve got nothing. It’s just frustrating because I know with the proper resources he could move forward, but he’s just stuck because he’s getting no help,” she added.