‘We aren't stopping until our children are seen’ - protestor

The third in a series of protests for more services for children with disabilities will take place this Saturday (November 25).

Organisers are hoping for a "bigger crowd" now that the peaceful protest has been moved to a Saturday for the first time. Those looking to support the cause can gather on Cavan's Market Square at 10am.

Serena Dawson is organising the protest as "nothing has changed" for children with disabilities. Under the Children's Disability Network Team (CDNT), her own son who will turn eight in January has had only one, one-to-one appointment with an Occupational Therapist, which took place in August. He has yet to have a one-to-one with his Speech & Language therapist.

"There are no services from CDNT, from Primary Care, from CAMHS [Child & Adolescent Mental Health Services], we're not getting services from anyone and we aren't stopping until our children are seen and get the services they need," Serena pledged to the Celt this week.

The reason of not having enough staff for the lack of services is "just an excuse", the Belturbet mum believes. She criticised the need for parents to go through training courses to support their children.

"This is not helping our children; it's leaving our children behind. They're not getting anything out of parent courses.

"We need the one-to-one interventions for our children to be getting the therapies and supports to get them where they need to be," she stated.

She also questioned how the services "know" the children are "getting the help they need" if they are not meeting them for appointments.

"The waiting lists are still the same, children aren't getting anything through them providing a group course, a parent session, a webinar. The children aren't getting what they need.

"We're out again on Saturday and we won't stop until our children get the services that they need and that they have a right to."