Roisin Garvey Speaking To Morning Focus On Autism Assessments
Clare's Green Party Senator has called on the government to provide funding to parents of children who are forced to avail of private healthcare to seek assessments of need. As of March of this year, 10,696 children were waiting over 12 months for intial contact with a children's disability network team with 17,157 children in total waiting. Minister of State at the Department of Health and at the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Anne Rabbitte is to seek budget approval for a new policy which would reimburse families who are waiting longer than six months for an assessment of need. Senator Roisin Garvey, which is a member of the Oireachtas Committee for Autism, says that securing funding to reimburse families who are forced to seek private healthcare would be a "massive win".