Latest news with #AssessmentsofNeeds
The Irish Sun
15-06-2025
- Politics
- The Irish Sun
Law is being broken & leaving our children permanently damaged, warns teen campaigner on autism diagnosis delays
AT JUST 14 years old, Cara Darmody has already met three different taoisigh, addressed a Dail committee and won the support of thousands as she campaigns for better autism services. Last month, the youngster spent 50 hours camped outside the gates of Leinster House as she demands the 4 Cara Darmody claims that Micheal Martin is breaking the law Credit: � 2025 PA Media, All Rights Reserved 4 She has two brothers, Neil and John, who have severe and profound intellectual disabilities Credit: Social Media Collect 4 Cara said Micheal Martin wouldn't declare this as a national emergency despite the evidence Credit: AFP or licensors Under our current At the moment, there are 15,000 Here, brave campaigner Cara Darmody tells our readers about the motivation behind her campaign and inside her talks with successive taoisigh that have left her furious. LET'S cut straight to the chase - I'm here today to call out the blatant Assessments of Needs law-breaking by the Taoiseach and the Government. READ MORE IN NEWS Three different taoisigh have made promises to me to fix this issue, and all have failed. I'm the 14-year-old Let me explain how the Government is breaking the law. The Disability Act of 2005 states that an Assessment of Need must be carried out on an That six-month timeframe is there because every single person knows that early intervention is the key. Most read in The Irish Sun It's also generally accepted that when early intervention doesn't occur, that permanent damage is caused to children with disabilities. My own story is very simple – while I'm not autistic, I have two brothers, Neil, 12, and John, eight, who are and who have severe and profound Playing with dolls can help your child's social development – even if they have autism, study finds They were both failed dramatically by the state in relation to assessments and services; Neil remains in an inappropriate I cannot do anything to change the permanent damage caused to Neil and John, but I can advocate to stop damage being done to thousands of autistic children in the future. And this law-breaking by the Government isn't like parking on double yellow lines, where people can simply drive around you. This is law-breaking that causes permanent damage to autistic children. 'LEFT TO ROT' Let's look at what's happening in In County There are presently more than 15,000 children left to rot on Shockingly, the HSE revealed that the figure will go up to 25,000 by The Cabinet is breaking the law, the Taoiseach is breaking the law. I get it that they don't want to hear that kind of criticism, but it's the truth – they are law- breakers when it comes to Assessments of Needs. It's a sad indictment on our country that if someone asked me to find a location in Ireland where 100 per cent of the people present are breaking a law of some type, then I would go to the Taoiseach's Department on a Tuesday for the Cabinet meeting. Three weeks ago, I was so grateful to be invited to meet our Taoiseach, But I was shocked that he wouldn't declare this as a national emergency. He's breaking the law, and the HSE has now handed him evidence that this crisis is totally out of control, with figures to rise by 10,000 children over the next seven months. How many does that number have to reach before he declares this as a national emergency? 30,000? 40,000? 50,000? 'TECHNICAL BREACH OF LAW' So let's look at the Taoiseach's own words – he says that they're 'not in a position to uphold the law.' He also said that 'It's a technical breach of the law.' Well, I have news for him - this is not a technical breach of the law, it's total and utter blatant law-breaking. My message to the Taoiseach today is very simple – immediately declare this as a national emergency, set up a task force to knock on every private psychologist and Finally…. Taoiseach, Stop breaking the law. 4 The children on the Assessment of Needs waiting lists are 'left to rot' as the figures increase Credit: Getty Images - Getty
Irish Independent
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Irish Independent
Government ‘smashing the law' over failure to provide assessment of needs to kids within six-month window, teen campaigner Cara Darmody says
The 15-year-old said she would 'vigorously resist' any change to the six-month timeframe, because to allow longer delays 'would cause further permanent damage to children'. The Government announced it was examining a change in the law after it emerged that the majority of children are not being assessed within the legal timeframe. But it has not given any indications of what those changes would be. Ms Darmody – who has two brothers Neil (12) and John (8) who are autistic and severely and profoundly intellectually disabled – has been addressing the Oireachtas Committee on Disability. 'Let's cut straight to the chase – I'm here today to call out the blatant Assessments of Needs law-breaking by the Taoiseach and the Government. Three different taoisigh have made promises to me to fix this issue, and all have dramatically failed,' she said. There are more than 15,000 children 'left to rot on HSE Assessments of Needs waiting lists', she said. 'Shockingly, the HSE revealed that the figure will go to 25,000 by Christmas. All because the Government is 'asleep at the wheel' and acting in a 'non-emergency' mode of action. 'No advocate has been more respectful or kind to our Cabinet members than me. In fact, I really like every single one of them and I love meeting them. But let's call a spade a spade – they are dramatically failing children with disabilities right now. Worse still, they are law-breakers and I'm calling that out big time right here.' She is urging the Government to declare the issue a national emergency: 'The Cabinet are breaking the law, the Taoiseach is breaking the law. I get it that they don't want to hear that kind of criticism, I do, but it's the truth – they are law-breakers when it comes to Assessments of Needs. And if they don't like that criticism, then here's my advice – stop breaking the law.'
Irish Independent
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Irish Independent
Government ‘smashing the law' over failure to provide assessment of needs to kids within six-month window, campaigner says
The 15-year-old said she will 'vigorously resist' any change to the six-month timeframe, because to allow longer delays 'would cause further permanent damage to children.' The Government announced it was examining a change in the law, after it emerged that the majority of children are not being assessed within the legal timeframe. But it has not given any indications of what those changes would be. Ms Darmody - who has two brothers Neil (12) and John (8) who are autistic and severely and profoundly intellectually disabled - has been addressing the Oireachtas Committee on Disability. 'Let's cut straight to the chase – I'm here today to call out the blatant Assessments of Needs law-breaking by the Taoiseach and the Government. Three different Taoisigh have made promises to me to fix this issue, and all have dramatically failed,' she said. There are over 15,000 children 'left to rot on HSE Assessments of Needs waiting lists,' she said. 'Shockingly, the HSE revealed that the figure will go to 25,000 by Christmas. All because the Government is 'asleep at the wheel' and acting in a 'non-emergency' mode of action. 'No advocate has been more respectful or kind to our Cabinet members than me. In fact, I really like every single one of them and I love meeting them. But let's call a spade a spade - they are dramatically failing children with disabilities right now. Worse still, they are law-breakers and I'm calling that out bigtime right here.' She is urging the Government to declare the issue a national emergency: 'The Cabinet are breaking the law, the Taoiseach is breaking the law. I get it that they don't want to hear that kind of criticism, I do, but it's the truth – they are law-breakers when it comes to Assessments of Needs. And if they don't like that criticism, then here's my advice – stop breaking the law'.
Irish Examiner
11-06-2025
- Health
- Irish Examiner
Disability activist Cara Darmody claims law being broken as children 'left to rot' on waiting lists
A schoolgirl who has held protests outside the Dáil for better autism services has claimed the Government is "blatantly" breaking the law and "permanently damaging children". Cara Darmody, who recently held a 50-hour protest at the gates of Leinster House as part of her years-old campaign, told TDs children are being 'left to rot' on HSE waiting lists to get assessed. She said that an Assessment of Need (AoN) must be carried out within six months. Addressing an Oireachtas committee in the Dáil, she said in 93% of cases, children are assessed outside the six-month timeframe. Under the Disability Act 2005, the HSE is legally obliged to have a child's special needs assessed within six months but it has repeatedly failed to do this over the past 20 years. Among those affected by special needs resourcing issues are her two severely autistic brothers, Neil — a 12-year-old who was only formally diagnosed as autistic in December 2016 despite being referred by a public health nurse when he was aged around 16 months to local HSE child services as a child of concern — and John. Cara told members of the Joint Committee on Disability Matters: 'I cannot do anything to change the permanent damage caused to Neil and John. 'But I can advocate to stop damage being done to autistic children in the future. Let's cut straight to the chase — I'm here today to call out the blatant Assessments of Needs law-breaking by the Taoiseach and the Government. 'Three different Taoisigh have made promises to me to fix this issue, and all have dramatically failed.' Cara, from Tipperary, raised this among other issues when she met Simon Harris when he was taoiseach last year on the first day of protest vigils she held outside the Dáil and the Taoiseach's Office last summer. The teenager met Micheál Martin in 2022 when he was taoiseach, and also lobbied him to put more resources into special needs assessments and therapies. Cara, who got 97% in her Junior Cert maths in 2022 to help raise awareness and €82,000 in funding for better services for autism locally and nationally, also lobbied Leo Varadkar, when he was taoiseach. Her father Mark told the committee that despite raising the issues with Mr Martin again recently and trying to get him to declare a national emergency on the lack of special needs assessments and therapies, he said: 'He doesn't buy into this emergency. He said it was just words.' He added: 'We are sleepwalking into a disaster." Read More Family of Clare boy killed by van challenge decision to bring no charges over death
Irish Daily Mirror
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Irish Daily Mirror
Govt accused of 'causing permanent damage' to kids by 'breaking disability law'
A disabilities advocate will tell Taoiseach Micheál Martin and the Government that they are "causing permanent damage to children" by "breaking the law" on Assessments of Needs. Cara Darmody, 14, will tell the Oireachtas Disabilities Committee this morning that 15,000 children are being "left to rot" on waiting lists. An Assessment of Needs (AON) identifies whether a child has a disability, the nature and extent of the disability and any health and education needs that may arise. Under law, once the HSE receives an application in writing, they must start the assessment within three months and complete it within an additional three months. However, there are now 15,296 assessments overdue. At the Disabilities Committee, Miss Darmody will tell politicians that she slept on the "dirty street outside" Leinster House last month as part of a 50-hour protest. She will say that she has two brothers, Neil and John, who are autistic and "severely and profoundly intellectually disabled". She will argue that they were both "failed dramatically by the State". Miss Darmody will say: "I cannot do anything to change the permanent damage caused to Neil and John, but I can advocate to stop damage being done to autistic children in the future. "Let's cut straight to the chase, I'm here today to call out the blatant Assessments of Needs law-breaking by the Taoiseach and the Government. "Three different Taoisigh have made promises to me to fix this issue, and all have dramatically failed." She will continue: "Let's call a spade a spade – the law is being systematically smashed by the Government." Miss Darmody will say there are 15,000 who have been "left to rot" on AON waiting lists. She will add: "So I'm going to be blunt to the Taoiseach – your law-breaking is causing permanent damage to children with disabilities. "You and your Cabinet need to wake up and show some initiative and urgency. Children are suffering permanent damage at your hands and your conduct needs to be called out. "We are an international embarrassment in how we treat children with autism and intellectual disabilities."
