Latest news with #DisabilityActof2005
Irish Examiner
18-06-2025
- Politics
- Irish Examiner
Cara Darmody: The law breakers are at the Cabinet table
Let's cut straight to the chase in this opinion piece — 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. I'm the 14-year old disability rights campaigner who performed a 50-hour protest on the dirty street outside Leinster House three weeks ago, and I'm the campaigner who was credited by the previous taoiseach for the allocation of €10m of Government funding to what he calls "Cara's fund". Let me explain how the Government is breaking the law. The Disability Act of 2005 states an assessment of need must be carried out on an autistic child within six months, full-stop. That six-month timeframe is there because every single person knows early intervention is the key. It's also generally accepted that when early intervention does not occur, that permanent damage is caused to children with disabilities. It's a no-brainer. Cara Darmody is escorted by Sinn Féin Maurice Quinlivan as she arrives at Leinster House to address the Oireachtas committee on disability matters. Picture: Sam Boal/Collins 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 intellectual disabilities. They were both failed dramatically by the State in relation to assessments and services and Neil remains in an inappropriate school place. Our story is the story of so many thousands of other families. 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. Let's look at what's happening in Ireland right now — in 93% of cases, children are assessed outside the six-month timeframe. So let's call a spade a spade — the law is being systematically smashed by the Government. In Co Tipperary, where I'm from, the present waiting time is 48 months. This isn't a close call. There are presently more than 15,000 children waiting on HSE assessments of needs waiting lists. Shockingly, the HSE has revealed the figure will go to 25,000 by Christmas. All because the Government is asleep at the wheel and in a non-emergency mode of action. No spin or political waffle can hide the truth of these figures. 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, 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! It's a sad indictment on our country that if someone asked me to find a location in Ireland where 100% of the people present are breaking a law of some type, then I would go to the Taoiseach's department on a Tuesday morning for the Cabinet meeting. That's shocking to say but it's true. Three weeks ago, I was so grateful to be invited to meet our Taoiseach during my protest. But I was shocked he would not 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. Cara with then taoiseach Simon Harris in 2024. Picture: Mark Darmody How many does that number have to reach before he declares this as a national emergency? 30,000? 40,000? 50,000? Cara at Leinster House halfway through her 50-hour sleepout. Picture: SAM BOAL/Collins Photos So let's look at the Taoiseach's own words — he says they're 'not in a position to uphold the law'. Seriously! Could you imagine any citizen in this country being allowed to get away with such a statement. He also said: '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. 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. And why do I believe the Government is asleep at the wheel? It's because they are stuck in the captivity of negativity, an endless cycle of negative thinking that fails to remove barriers on the road to progress. So if the Taoiseach feels he can't sit down with the HSE chief executive Bernard Gloster to urgently seek solutions to this national crisis, then I'll give it a go myself. I'm delighted to have secured a meeting Mr Gloster on July 1 at HSE headquarters where I hope we can make huge progress on this crisis. My message to the Taoiseach today is very simple — immediately declare this as a national emergency, set up a taskforce to physically knock on every private psychologist and therapist's door in the country with an emergency request for help, and dramatically finance Cara's Fund. And finally, Taoiseach — stop breaking the assessments of needs law!
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
Belfast Telegraph
11-06-2025
- Health
- Belfast Telegraph
Teenager vows to ‘resist' any weakening of six-month timeframe for assessments
Cara Darmody, 14, addressed the Oireachtas Disability Committee on Wednesday about the backlog in the assessment of need (AON) system. An AON is carried out to identify if a child, children or young person has a disability, and is designed to identify their health needs as well as service requirements. Once the HSE receives an application, there is a legal requirement for the AON to be completed within six months. On the possibility of changes to the laws being in train, Cara said she would 'vigorously resist any negative change' to the six-month timeframe, saying she believed it would cause 'further permanent damage to children'. The total number of applications overdue for completion at the end of March 2025 stood at 15,296, an 8% rise on the end of 2024. Throughout the first quarter of this year, just 7% of assessments were completed within the timeframes set out in the Disability Act 2005 and accompanying regulations. The HSE said that demand for AONs continues to outstrip system capacity, despite increases in activity and commissions from private assessors. The health service anticipates that by the end of the year there could be as many as 24,796 AONs due for completion. Opposition parties including Sinn Fein, Labour, Social Democrats, People Before Profit-Solidarity, Independent Ireland and Aontu have supported Cara's campaign. Last month she staged a 50-hour protest outside Leinster House. She was initially motivated to pursue her advocacy because her two brothers have autism and severe/profound intellectual disabilities. Speaking at Committee, Cara said: 'My own story is very simple, I have two brothers Neil, 12, and John, eight, who are autistic and severely and profoundly intellectually disabled. 'They were both failed dramatically by the state in relation to assessments and services, and Neil remains in an inappropriate school place. 'Our story is the story of so many thousands of other families. 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.' She said Taoiseach Micheal Martin and the wider Government are breaking the law over the delivery of AONs. 'Three different taoisigh have made promises to me to fix this issue, and all have dramatically failed.' She added: 'Let me explain how they're breaking the law. The Disability Act of 2005, an Act created by this House, states that an assessment of need must be carried out within six months, full-stop. 'That six-month timeframe is there because every single person knows that early intervention is the key. 'It's also generally accepted that when early intervention doesn't occur, that damage is caused to children with disabilities. It's a no-brainer.' Cara said she was shocked that Mr Martin would not declare a national emergency over the matter. She said the taoiseach should also set up a taskforce to address the matter, and increase financing for 'Cara's Fund'.
Sunday World
11-06-2025
- Health
- Sunday World
Government has ‘systematically smashed' disability laws for children, teen tells Oireachtas
Cara Darmody, 14, addressed the Oireachtas Disability Committee on Wednesday about the backlog in the assessment of need (AON) system. Campaigner Cara Darmody staged a 50-hour protest against the backlog in the assessment of needs system (Liam McBurney/PA) The Government has "systematically smashed" disability laws on important checks for children, a teenage campaigner has told the Oireachtas. Cara Darmody, 14, addressed the Oireachtas Disability Committee on Wednesday about the backlog in the assessment of need (AON) system. An AON is carried out to identify if a child, children or young person has a disability, and is designed to identify their health needs as well as service requirements. Once the HSE receives an application, there is a legal requirement for the AON to be completed within six months. On the possibility of changes to the laws being in train, Cara said she would "vigorously resist any negative change" to the six-month timeframe, saying she believed it would cause "further permanent damage to children". The total number of applications overdue for completion at the end of March 2025 stood at 15,296, an 8% rise on the end of 2024. Throughout the first quarter of this year, just 7% of assessments were completed within the timeframes set out in the Disability Act 2005 and accompanying regulations. The HSE said that demand for AONs continues to outstrip system capacity, despite increases in activity and commissions from private assessors. The health service anticipates that by the end of the year there could be as many as 24,796 AONs due for completion. Opposition parties including Sinn Féin, Labour, Social Democrats, People Before Profit-Solidarity, Independent Ireland and Aontu have supported Cara's campaign. Last month she staged a 50-hour protest outside Leinster House. She was initially motivated to pursue her advocacy because her two brothers have autism and severe/profound intellectual disabilities. Speaking at Committee, Cara said: "My own story is very simple, I have two brothers Neil, 12, and John, eight, who are autistic and severely and profoundly intellectually disabled. "They were both failed dramatically by the state in relation to assessments and services, and Neil remains in an inappropriate school place. "Our story is the story of so many thousands of other families. 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." She said Taoiseach Micheal Martin and the wider Government are breaking the law over the delivery of AONs. Campaigner Cara Darmody staged a 50-hour protest against the backlog in the assessment of needs system (Liam McBurney/PA) News in 90 Seconds - June 11th "Three different taoisigh have made promises to me to fix this issue, and all have dramatically failed." She added: "Let me explain how they're breaking the law. The Disability Act of 2005, an Act created by this House, states that an assessment of need must be carried out within six months, full-stop. "That six-month timeframe is there because every single person knows that early intervention is the key. "It's also generally accepted that when early intervention doesn't occur, that damage is caused to children with disabilities. It's a no-brainer." Cara said she was shocked that Mr Martin would not declare a national emergency over the matter. She said the Taoiseach should also set up a taskforce to address the matter, and increase financing for "Cara's Fund".
Irish Independent
11-06-2025
- Health
- Irish Independent
Government has ‘systematically smashed' disability laws for children, teen campaigner tells Oireachtas
Cara Darmody, 14, addressed the Oireachtas Disability Committee on Wednesday about the backlog in the assessment of need (AON) system. An AON is carried out to identify if a child, children or young person has a disability, and is designed to identify their health needs as well as service requirements. Once the HSE receives an application, there is a legal requirement for the AON to be completed within six months. On the possibility of changes to the laws being in train, Cara said she would "vigorously resist any negative change" to the six-month timeframe, saying she believed it would cause "further permanent damage to children". The total number of applications overdue for completion at the end of March 2025 stood at 15,296, an 8% rise on the end of 2024. Throughout the first quarter of this year, just 7% of assessments were completed within the timeframes set out in the Disability Act 2005 and accompanying regulations. The HSE said that demand for AONs continues to outstrip system capacity, despite increases in activity and commissions from private assessors. The health service anticipates that by the end of the year there could be as many as 24,796 AONs due for completion. Opposition parties including Sinn Féin, Labour, Social Democrats, People Before Profit-Solidarity, Independent Ireland and Aontu have supported Cara's campaign. Last month she staged a 50-hour protest outside Leinster House. She was initially motivated to pursue her advocacy because her two brothers have autism and severe/profound intellectual disabilities. Speaking at Committee, Cara said: "My own story is very simple, I have two brothers Neil, 12, and John, eight, who are autistic and severely and profoundly intellectually disabled. "They were both failed dramatically by the state in relation to assessments and services, and Neil remains in an inappropriate school place. "Our story is the story of so many thousands of other families. 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." She said Taoiseach Micheal Martin and the wider Government are breaking the law over the delivery of AONs. "Three different taoisigh have made promises to me to fix this issue, and all have dramatically failed." She added: "Let me explain how they're breaking the law. The Disability Act of 2005, an Act created by this House, states that an assessment of need must be carried out within six months, full-stop. "That six-month timeframe is there because every single person knows that early intervention is the key. "It's also generally accepted that when early intervention doesn't occur, that damage is caused to children with disabilities. It's a no-brainer." Cara said she was shocked that Mr Martin would not declare a national emergency over the matter. She said the Taoiseach should also set up a taskforce to address the matter, and increase financing for "Cara's Fund".
