The implementation of the Progressing Disability Services for Children & Young People (PDS) programme is agreed Government and HSE policy and seeks to address the previous inequity in service provision whereby there may have been an excellent service for some children and little or no service for others. However, it has been acknowledged that the transition to policy-based Children’s Disability Network Teams under the PDS Programme has been challenging for many families and staff.
Funding has been provided by Government in recent years for over 600 additional posts to enhance CDNT capacity and the HSE continue to progress a range of measures to recruit staff, having regard to the challenges that currently exist in the recruitment of health and social care professionals.
I can advise that following a meeting between the CEO of the HSE and Ministers Donnelly, O’Gorman and I last year, it was agreed by that an overarching roadmap would be developed to support all stakeholders to progress the next phase of implementation of PDS model. The roadmap document will set out the actions being proposed by the HSE to improve services for children with disabilities and developmental delays as well as their families.
As part of the consideration being given to enhancement of services, the Roadmap will seek to examine the implementation of the CDNT model of service by way of progressing an independent review. The review of the implementation will consider issues such as:
- The current literature with regard to health and social care supports for children with disabilities
- The competencies and skill mix required to support children with disabilities
- The establishment and development of the CDNTs
- An evaluation of the experience of children and families in accessing CDNT services
- An evaluation of the experience of service providers and staff, including primary Care, CAMHS staff and Disability Act Office staff, in delivering children’s service
The Department continues to engage with the HSE in relation to finalising the Roadmap document so relevant actions can be agreed and commenced.
It is envisaged that the detailed action in the Roadmap will form part of a series of initiatives across 2023 designed to enhance access to services.
