EDITORIAL: It should not take a teen protesting to realise there is crisis with waiting lists
It should not take a 14 year-old sleeping on the streets of Dublin during a 50-hour protest for the government to realise there is a crisis.
It should not take a 14 year-old sleeping on the streets of Dublin during a 50-hour protest for the government to realise there is a crisis when it comes to assessment waiting lists, writes Aoife Sheehan.
This week we all saw Tipperary teenager Cara Darmody protest outside Leinster House from 10am on Tuesday, May 20 until 12pm on Thursday May 22, a total of 50 hours.
The teen has been holding regular protests since she was 11 years old, to hold the government to account for consistently breaking the assessment of needs law.
Cara’s two brothers Neil and John have autism, so the issue is one that’s close to Cara’s heart.
Her recent protest mentioned above, where she slept in a tent for two consecutive nights outside Leinster House, was successful in starting the conversation once again that children are being failed every day by the state when it comes to receiving access to essential services, due to the assessment of needs appointment backlog.
It is awful to see that it takes a teenager, taking time off from school to sleep outside for two nights, to get the government to respond to the issue and finally admit something needs to change.
Politicians now have the baton to hold the government accountable for the continuous failing of children and families with disabilities, for not accessing their needs in a timely manner - within the legal six month limit.
The government needs to come together from both sides and find a solution to this crisis, as children are likely deteriorating while waiting, as they are not receiving essential treatments they may need like speech and language therapy or occupational therapy, ultimately leaving many children with disabilities to regress in their skills.
The crisis needs to be continuously addressed until it is resolved and children finally assessed so that they can receive the services they need and are entitled to.