State Misses Disability Assessment Targets by 5,600 as 21,000 Children Wait for Help
The Irish government has failed to meet its own targets for providing Assessments of Need for children with disabilities by a margin of 5,600 cases over the three-year period from 2023 to 2026, leaving more than 21,000 children overdue for an assessment that is the essential gateway to accessing the specialist services and supports they need — a failure that has caused profound distress for thousands of families and drawn sharp criticism from opposition parties, disability advocates, and the children's rights community.
Background
The Assessment of Need (AON) process is the mechanism through which children with disabilities in Ireland access the specialist services they require, including speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, and psychological support. Under the Disability Act 2005, children have a legal right to an assessment within three months of application, and to a service statement setting out what services they will receive and when. In practice, the system has been overwhelmed by demand for many years, with waiting times far exceeding the statutory three-month limit in most parts of the country.
The government's "Roadmap for Service Improvement," published in 2023, set out a series of targets for reducing the backlog of overdue assessments and improving the timeliness of the process. The roadmap was presented as a serious commitment to addressing the crisis in disability services, and was welcomed by disability organisations and families who had been campaigning for action for years. The revelation that the government has missed its targets by 5,600 cases is therefore a significant blow to confidence in the government's ability to deliver on its commitments in this area.
The HSE's Children's Disability Network Teams (CDNTs), which are responsible for delivering assessments and services to children with disabilities, have been chronically understaffed since their establishment. The recruitment and retention of specialist therapists — particularly speech and language therapists and occupational therapists — has been a persistent challenge, with competition from the private sector and from other countries making it difficult to fill vacancies. The HSE has increasingly turned to outsourcing assessments to private clinics as a way of managing the backlog, but this approach has been criticised for its cost and for the inconsistency of the assessments produced.
Key Developments
The figures were reported by RTÉ, which obtained data showing that as of early 2026, over 21,000 children were overdue for an Assessment of Need. The data revealed that the government had missed its roadmap targets by 5,600 cases over the three-year period, meaning that thousands of children who should have received assessments under the government's own plan have not done so. The HSE has acknowledged the shortfall and has indicated that it is continuing to work to reduce the backlog, but has not provided a specific timeline for when all overdue assessments will be completed.
The outsourcing of assessments to private clinics has become an increasingly significant part of the HSE's response to the backlog. While this approach has allowed some children to receive assessments more quickly than they would have through the public system, it has also raised concerns about the quality and consistency of the assessments produced. Disability organisations have reported cases where assessments carried out by private clinics have been of lower quality than those produced by the CDNTs, and have called for stronger quality assurance mechanisms to be put in place.
Opposition parties have been highly critical of the government's failure to meet its targets. Sinn Féin's disability spokesperson described the figures as "a national scandal," while the Social Democrats called for an emergency plan to address the backlog. The government has defended its record, pointing to the additional funding that has been provided for disability services in recent budgets, but has acknowledged that more needs to be done.
Why It Matters
The failure to meet disability assessment targets matters because it has real and lasting consequences for the children and families affected. An Assessment of Need is not merely a bureaucratic exercise; it is the mechanism through which children access the specialist services that can make a transformative difference to their development and quality of life. A child who does not receive a timely assessment may miss critical windows for early intervention, with consequences that can affect their educational attainment, social development, and long-term wellbeing. For parents, the experience of waiting months or years for an assessment while watching their child struggle without the support they need is deeply distressing. The government's failure to meet its own targets suggests that the commitments made in the roadmap were not backed by sufficient resources or political will to deliver on them.
Local Impact
The impact of the assessment backlog is felt across the country, but is particularly acute in areas where the CDNTs are most understaffed and where the demand for assessments is highest. In Dublin, Cork, and Galway, where the population of children with disabilities is largest, the waiting times for assessments are among the longest in the country. Families in rural areas face additional challenges, with some CDNTs covering very large geographical areas and having limited capacity to provide assessments in a timely manner. The HSE's community healthcare organisations (CHOs) have been working to address the backlog through a combination of additional recruitment, outsourcing, and process improvements, but progress has been slow. Parent advocacy groups across the country have been vocal in their criticism of the situation and have called for a fundamental reform of the assessment system.
What's Next
The government is expected to respond to the figures with a revised plan for addressing the assessment backlog, including specific targets and timelines for reducing the number of overdue cases. The Dáil's health committee is expected to hold hearings on the matter in the autumn, with representatives from the HSE, disability organisations, and parent advocacy groups invited to give evidence. The HSE has indicated that it will publish an updated implementation plan for the roadmap in the coming months, setting out the steps it is taking to meet its targets. Disability organisations have called for the plan to include binding commitments and accountability mechanisms to ensure that the government's promises are delivered on this time.
