Dozens of Cork children waiting more than two years for disability supports

More than 200 children are waiting for over a year for an initial contact by Children’s Disability Network Teams (CDNTs) in Cork and Kerry, new figures have shown.

In HSE South West, made up of Cork and Kerry, there are 186 people waiting up to three months; 124 waiting four to six months; 115 waiting seven to 12 months, and 200 waiting more than a year, HSE data shows.

A HSE spokesperson said they acknowledged some children are “unfortunately” waiting too long for supports, and apologised for any distress this is causing children and their families.

However, Cork Sinn Féin TDs have said that without early intervention, crucial development could be delayed or missed. 

Disgrace

Speaking to The Echo, Sinn Féin TD for Cork South Central, Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire said these children are being failed by the Government.

“It is an absolute disgrace that 625 children are currently on waiting lists for assessment and support from CDNTs in the South-West region,” he said.

 “This is a systemic failure, and it will only continue to get worse if it is not addressed head-on.

“Children are routinely waiting years for assessments. Posts remain unfilled. Teams are stretched to breaking point. Families are being told there is no one available to see their child. 

"How is a child supposed to reach their full potential without these crucial supports? Development in childhood happens fast, and it does not wait for staffing issues to be solved.”

His party colleague, Cork East TD Pat Buckley, said without fully staffed teams, speech may not emerge, motor skills may regress, behavioural challenges may escalate, and families will become exhausted and isolated.

He said: “It is not fair that the children and their families are the ones who are suffering just because Government can’t get their act together.

“Government cannot continue to under-resource services for these children while claiming to uphold equality and inclusion. Children deserve timely assessment and intervention to give them the best chance at success.

“Early and ongoing assessment and intervention is key.”

Plan

He added Sinn Féin would develop a comprehensive workforce plan to fully staff network teams, streamlining the recruitment process, doubling the number of undergraduate training places, and providing a job guarantee to health and social care graduates.

A HSE spokesperson told The Echo there are 14 network teams in Cork and Kerry, managed by five lead agencies: Brothers of Charity Southern Services, CoAction West Cork, Enable Ireland, Horizons, and St Joseph’s Foundation.

The spokesperson said: “These teams deliver interdisciplinary supports for children with complex disability needs.

“At June 30, 2025, there were 7,751 children on the open [network team] cases across Cork and Kerry. This figure represents an increase of 1% since June 2024, and there were 685 children waiting for an initial contact with a [network team]. This figure represents a decrease of 9% since June 2024.

Initial supports

“[Network teams] in this region endeavour to offer each child an initial contact at the earliest opportunity. This allows services to provide initial supports for families and prioritise access to follow-up interventions, based on clinical need.

“We acknowledge that some children, unfortunately, are waiting too long for supports and we would like to sincerely apologise for any distress this causes for children and their families. The HSE continues to work with the five lead agencies to fill all vacant approved posts so that they can maximise the supports available to children and reduce waiting times.”