Call for more legislation around disability services

A peaceful protest once again took place last Thursday morning to highlight the lack of services for children with disabilities in Cavan.

Approximately 20 people gathered at Cavan's market square, many of whom are parents of children with additional needs, to highlight the need for improved services.

It is the second such protest to take place on the issue in Cavan Town, organised by mums Rachel Kearns and Serena Dawson.

The mothers also collected signatures on the day for a petition ‘No more waiting - Serena & Rachel’s call for urgent services for special needs children’.

Dozens stopped to sign their name, showing the widespread support there is for the plight of parents of children with disabilities. Speaking to the Celt, Rachel said the “number one” aspect of the Disability Act 2005 she wants changed is for it to include “timely access to therapy”.

“This is what we really need,” she stated, adding if this was included that “someone could be held accountable” if services are not provided in a timely manner.

“Kids need to have therapies, it's not a luxury, it's a right.”

Rachel also believes that an “independent oversight” clause must be incorporated in the bill to “ensure accountability”.

“Somebody, who is not with the HSE, needs to come in and to have an overview of all of this and hold them [the HSE] accountable,” she says, adding that “there are kids” who are a “forgotten generation.”

A frustrated Rachel describes current waiting lists and times as “scandalous”.

“Why are our kids being left like this?”

‘Still waiting’

Both Serena and Rachel claim to have been waiting for five years for their eldest respective children to access therapy.

“And still waiting,” Serena stated. “There is no legislation around services and that is what we need.

“We need to be given some sort of hope that our children are going to receive the services that they need and to help them live independent lives. At the minute, we don't know where they're going to end up when we're gone.”

Serena said this is “of course” something that parents of children with disabilities worry about.

“There's no respite, there's no adult services, there's no children's services, there's absolutely nothing. When it does come to the point of when we're gone, where are our children going to go? How do we know that they are going to be safe? This is a massive concern for parents.”

Between acting as a therapist, banker, parent, husband/wife and trying to earn an income, Serena said parents' mental health is deteriorating.

“The only support that we have as parents is our community and, at the end of the day, there's only so much that parents are fit to take themselves before there's going to be a mental health crisis.”

They also want to see “equality for families” by “eliminating the post code lottery” for services in different counties.

“How can services in other counties be working, kids can be receiving therapies and in other counties they're receiving nothing and being left behind.”

Another parent at the protest said she is receiving “no answers” from any of the service providers. Her eldest son, who has been diagnosed with autism and ADHD, has not seen a therapist in person within Enable Ireland for two and a half years.

Her youngest, who is two and a half years old, also has autism.

“Support is not there when we look for it,” Lauren Lynch said.

“There just seems to be no hope in the future for any therapies,” she said.

“We really just feel a bit lost,” she told the Celt.

Meanwhile, Rachel and Serena have also raised concerns over the future of Special Needs Assistants in schools for their children. Under the SNA Redeployment Scheme, Rachel fears that SNAs will be “gone” if the child does not “fit into” the three boxes of toileting, hygiene and feeding for SNA support.

Serena's middle child has just started school with the support of an SNA, and she reports he is “getting on good”.

“He really does rely on that SNA,” she said, describing how he has DCD, and struggles with anxiety and sensory processing.

In a class of 22 pupils, she fears that this support will be “taken away” and says it is “not good enough” that teachers will be expected to provide support along with managing the rest of the class.

“They're [the NCSE] basically revoking SNA access from thousands of children across the country,” she claims.

“They're taking out movement breaks out of the role of the SNA, and they are saying that behavioural support isn't the role of an SNA either,” she claimed.

Serena believes revoking an SNA would result in “complete chaos”.

“Children are going to go into the cracks even more so that they already are.”

“Thousands of children are going to miss out on the help they need.”

Meanwhile Rachel fears that her son Keelan, who is in an ASD unit with an SNA, will lose the support because he doesn't have toileting, hygiene or feeding needs.

“They're non-verbal, they don't open their own lunch boxes, they don't open their own drink beakers. How does a teacher deal with all that?

Process for allocating SNAs 'not changing' - Department

However, a spokesperson for the Department of Youth stated: “The process for allocating SNAs has been in place since 2014 and is not changing this year.”

They said schools were issued with their allocations for the 2025/26 school year in June and the SNA review window from September 15 to October 24 relates to schools who believe they “do not have sufficient SNAs to support their care needs at present”.

“A school can apply to the NCSE at any time during the school year, as in previous years, for a review where emerging or new care needs arise.”

The NCSE has written to all schools since the publication of the guidelines to clarify that a school can request a review during the school year.

“The role and responsibilities for SNAs has also not changed. SNAs remain responsible for meeting primary care needs for students with special educational needs,” they stated.

“New special classes continue to be supported with additional SNAs each time a new class opens, this has not changed. The NCSE guidelines set out the number of SNAs per each category of special class and there is no change to those baseline allocations.

They urge any school with concerns about their SNA allocation to contact their local special education needs organiser.

“There continues to be separate allocations for mainstream and special classes in individual schools. When the NCSE completes the SNA review, and if additional SNA support is identified as being required, it will be provided,” they assured.

“This has always been the case. The NCSE carried out a record number of reviews in 2025 to ensure that children who most needed SNA support could access it. This will continue for 2025/26 school

year.”