‘Things are getting worse,’ says Cork mother and representative of child disability group

A CORK parent has said families of children with additional needs “have reached saturation point” with the Progressing Disability Services for Children and Young People (PDS) model of care.

Rebecca O’Riordan, of the disability advocacy group Families Unite for Services and Support (Fuss), and a mother of a child with additional needs in Cork, said “things are getting worse” with regards to the service.

Cork Kerry Community Healthcare (CKCH) reconfigured children’s disability services into Children’s Disability Network Teams (CDNTs) under the National Progressing Disability Services for Children and Young People Programme back in 2021.

PDS is a significant national change programme for the provision of services and support for children from birth to 18 years of age, in line with Sláintecare and the programme for government.

The primary objective in the development of CDNTs is to have “equity of access to services” for all children and their families, but parents of children with disabilities said issues related to filling particular roles within these CDNTs have continued to affect the provision of services.

Parents say they have been left with no choice but to fight on behalf of their children, leading to the establishment of the Fuss group.

“The focus on first contact is a red herring, because after first contact, there’s still nothing,” Ms O’Riordan told The Echo. “We have reached saturation point in that families aren’t even making complaints anymore, they don’t see the point.

“All that comes back is letters saying you are absolutely right we are failing your child but there’s nothing we can do.

“At worst, they are penalised for it. Families are absolutely drowning, and staff are leaving in their droves, but the HSE is convinced we can still come back from this with an international recruitment drive without asking why so many are leaving.

“The fact that things have escalated to industrial action shows that they are not listening to staff or families.”

FIGURES

Her comments come as figures obtained by The Echo show that there are currently 1,387 children awaiting initial contact with the CDNT service.

A spokesperson for Cork Kerry Community Healthcare (CKCH) said: “Cork Kerry Community Healthcare deeply regrets any delays for children and their families awaiting initial contact with the Children’s Disability Network Team.

“We understand the difficulty and stress this can cause for children and their families, and we are working to address these delays.

“Across Cork, there are 5,711 active cases across the 11 CDNTs, with 1,387 children awaiting an initial contact.

“There is an average vacancy rate of 20% across all 14 CDNTs in Cork and Kerry, with some CDNTs experiencing higher vacancy rates than others.

“When staff leave our partners in Section 38 and 39 agencies, they are asked to complete an exit questionnaire. Reasons cited for leaving include retirement, family reasons, or promotional opportunities.

“Healthcare services are experiencing shortages of staff nationally and internationally, and international recruitment is just one avenue to explore in relation to filling vacancies.

“The Section 38 and Section 39 agencies in Cork and Kerry continue to run local recruitment campaigns on an ongoing basis.

“Cork Kerry Community Healthcare personnel continue to work with all stakeholders with respect to filling vacant posts.”