Over 8,600 children waiting for first contact from disability teams

Tue, 14 Apr, 2026 - 05:34

Michael Bolton

Figures from the HSE show 8,648 children are waiting for first contact from a Child Disability Network Team (CDNT).

This is a reduction of the 9,363 children waiting for first contact at the end of 2025.

During February 1,642 children who are on the CDNT waiting list participated in one or more individual and/or group intervention appointments.

The area with the highest number of patients waiting for first contact is at HSE Dublin Midlands, which covers Dublin South City and West and Dublin South West, Kildare, West Wicklow, Laois, Offaly, Longford and Westmeath.

In this Regional Healthcare Area (RHA), there are 2,267 waiting for first contact with 1,701 of these waiting over a year.

In HSE Dublin and South East, 2,127 children are waiting for first contact. This RHA provides care for Carlow, Kilkenny, South Tipperary, Waterford, Wexford, and most of Wicklow. In this RHA, 1,590 children have been waiting over a year for first contact.

HSE Dublin and North East, which covers North Dublin, Louth, Meath, Monaghan and most of Cavan, has 2,114 children waiting for first contact, with 1,433 children in this RHA waiting over a year.

At HSE Midwest, covering Clare, Limerick, and North Tipperary, 1,154 children are on waiting lists, a drop from the 1,211 children waiting at the end of last year.

HSE West and North West, which provides care for Donegal, Leitrim, Sligo, West Cavan, Mayo, Galway and Roscommon, had 546 children waiting for first contact, an increase from the 504 at the end of 2025.

HSE South West, providing care for Cork and Kerry, has under 500 children waiting for first contact, with 440 on CDNT waiting lists.

CDNTs are currently providing services and supports for 45,141 children and strategies and supports for waitlisted children with urgent needs, where staffing resources allow.

There are 93 CDNTs aligned to 96 Community Healthcare Networks (CHNs) across the country, providing services and supports for children aged from birth to 18 years of age.