Hundreds of Cork Children left waiting for specialised support services assessment

MORE than 800 children in Cork were awaiting initial contact from a Children’s Disability Network Team (CNDT) in the region as of the end of last year, with in excess of half of those waiting longer than a year.

A CDNT provides specialised support and services for children aged from birth to 18 years who have a disability and complex health needs associated with that disability.

Figures

According to figures obtained by Sinn Féin TD Thomas Gould, there were 811 children waiting for an initial contact in Cork as of the end of December 2023. 

Of those, 446 were waiting for longer than 12 months. CDNT 9 (North Cork City and Blarney) had the highest number waiting at 163, followed by CDNT 5 (North East Cork) at 145 and CDNT 7 (East Cork City) at 84.

“We know that staff are doing their absolute best in extremely difficult circumstances. They are not given the resources and there is simply not enough staff for Cork,” Mr Gould said.

“77% of children on the waiting list in CDNT 9, covering North Cork City and Blarney, have been waiting for more than 12 months.

“For young children, 12 months is a large portion of their childhood and that will undoubtedly see key opportunities missed for intervention that could be life-changing,” said the Cork North Central TD.

He called on the Government to increase investment in CDNTs and in the broader children’s disability services.

Regrets

A spokesperson for Cork Kerry Community Healthcare (CKCH) told The Echo that CKCH “deeply regrets any delays for children and their families awaiting initial contact with the Children’s Disability Network Team (CDNT)”.

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

“There is an average vacancy rate of 23% across all 11 CDNTs in Cork, with some CDNTs experiencing higher vacancy rates than others.

“CDNT services in Cork are provided by Section 38 and Section 39 agencies.

“While Section 38 agencies (Brothers of Charity Services and Cope Foundation) have been impacted by the HSE recruitment pause, Section 39 agencies (St Joseph’s Foundation, Enable Ireland, and CoAction) continue to run local recruitment campaigns,” the spokesperson continued.

They added that CKCH is also currently working with National Recruitment Services as part of the CDNT-targeted recruitment campaign.