They have been let down for long enough
"Let's be seen, let's be heard, and try and fight for our children," is the rallying cry of Cavan parents planning a protest later this summer to get more services for their children who are on waiting lists for specialist therapies.
Serena Dawson and Rachel Kearns spoke to the Celt recently outlining their families' struggles whereby their children are on HSE and Enable Ireland waiting lists and feel compelled to take to the streets and protest in order to get essential therapies for their children. They encourage all families in a similar situation to take part.
"We feel that our children have been left for so long and we see that it seems to be the only way forward," Serena Dawson told the Celt, explaining why herself and Rachel Kearns have decided to hold the peaceful protest.
"Hopefully having this protest is actually going to get us heard, get some sort of movement on the process of seeing our children and getting our children the help they need."
Wait time
Serena's eldest son Nathan was diagnosed with autism in October 2020. They have had four one-to-one appointments, with the last one taking place in September 2021.
Her youngest son Dara, is also under the care of the CDNT.
He was diagnosed with autism and global development delay in April 2024 and has yet to be seen by an occupational therapist.
He has been in a feeding clinic and also another one to try and get an Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) device.
So far, Serena says they have received no speech and language therapy (SLT) or occupational therapy (OT) and are left trying to figure out what three-year-old Dara, who is non-verbal, is trying to express to them.
Cody, who turns five next month, is under a primary care team and is also waiting for SLT and OT. In September 2024, they were given a wait time of three years for OT and “in the excess of” two years for SLT, psychology is 36 months and physio was 50 weeks. The family are awaiting an assessment for Cody.
Diagnosed
Meanwhile Rachel's seven-year-old son Keelan has had no therapies to date. He was diagnosed with autism and just this year he was also diagnosed with a moderate intellectual disability. Keelan is pre-verbal and has sensory processing disorder.
Enable Ireland took Keelan on in 2020, and the family has not had any therapies since. He has been offered an appointment with the dietician this month. Her four-year-old son Kaizer was diagnosed with autism in June 2023 and hasn't heard anything since.
Fight
Mum of three Serena said the protest is open to people under "any of the services" who are not getting the supports they need.
"We have all waited so long, we have tried contacting, and sending emails and getting phonecalls.
"Let's be seen, let's be heard, and try and fight for our children. They have been let down for long enough and I think now is our time to get out there and fight," Serena concluded.
The protest will take place on Tuesday, August 12 at 10am, where families of children with additional needs are encouraged to stand outside the HSE building on Cavan's Main Street in a peaceful demonstration for more services.
Enable Ireland
A spokesperson from Enable Ireland stated: "Enable Ireland fully respects the right of parents and families to voice their concerns and advocate for their children. Their dedication reflects the care they have for their loved ones, and we acknowledge the frustration many feel due to delays in accessing services. We want to reassure families that we are doing everything within our power to improve our services by addressing staff shortages and reducing waiting times. "
Over 640 children are currently eligible for services with the Cavan Children’s Disability Network Team.
"Our clinicians prioritise children with the most urgent needs, working within the resources available. Unfortunately, the current shortage of staff in some posts means services fall short of what families expect and what staff want to deliver, and, as a result, children need to be waitlisted for both assessment and intervention.
"Like many services nationwide, we are impacted by a national shortage of healthcare professionals, which has made recruitment challenging. However, we continue to work closely with the HSE on initiatives to attract and retain staff.
Since February, three new clinicians have joined the Cavan team, which the spokesperson described as "a positive step towards improving access and reducing wait times."
"We acknowledge the frustration families feel and remain focused on building our team to deliver the quality of service every child deserves. We encourage any family who has a query regarding their child to contact our service directly."