Woman waiting years for CDNT describes what her child has been put through
Michael Bolton
A woman whose child was on a Child Disability Network Team (CDNT) waiting list for years has criticised the process she and her child have been put through.
Joan O'Shea, from Co Kilkenny, is the parent of a 12-year-old child, who, despite receiving letters from a CDNT, has never met anyone from a disability team.
This has led to her child being put through the CAMHS process due to the backlogs experienced in CDNT.
Speaking to BreakingNews.ie, Ms O'Shea described the struggles her daughter has gone through from an early age.
"The minute I brought her home I knew there was something different, but of course, you have to wait.
"My process would have started in 2017, I payed myself for an educational assessment to be done on her, and the woman spotted ADHD, everything lit up.
"That child is now 12, and she has not seen anyone, only Camhs. The only reason we got in with CAMHS was because I got on to John McGuinness in Kilkenny.
"I had to fight tooth and nail for everything she is after getting, and we still have not seen anyone in CDNT. All we are getting are letters, we are being moved to another list, to another list, to another list.
"They have now moved us from Waterford to Clonmel, she is so long waiting now she is on the adolescence list now and no longer the child's list."
Having been through this process before with her oldest child, Ms O'Shea was determined to fight for everything her child could possibly need.
What her oldest child was put through in the education system showed that change was needed.
"My older daughter is 20 and has many of the same issues. If you don't intervene and help, the depression becomes worse, the anger issues becomes worse, the anxiety becomes worse.
"My eldest daughter got nothing. I know I have to get my daughter the help she needs or she will end up similar to my eldest daughter, who dropped out of education before she could even do her Junior cert.
"My eldest child, even though she had dyslexia and ADHD and other things, was actually called thick by the teacher in her school, who is supposed to be her support network.
"My eldest child, I put her into counselling, paid for it all myself. While she has not got the best career in the world, turns out she is a brilliant barista, and has got herself a full-time job, and you know what, I can't ask for more than that."
Having been on CDNT lists since 2022, and receiving letter after letter of delays.
After attending a CDNT meeting in Waterford last year, it became clear the issues the HSE have when it comes to recruitment.
"They had some representation from the HSE there. There is no psychologist in place for CDNT, and there hasn't been for a number of years, so I said can we not have the money you're saving paying a psychologist's wages, so we could outsource it privately? Told no, we can't do that.
"I asked what is taking so long to get a child psychology. She said nobody wants the job. She said we don't understand why nobody wants the job.
"I said I know why nobody wants the job, because there is far too many kids. There is too many kids on a waiting list now for one child psychologist. The workload is too much, they are not supported."
Now receiving support through CAMHS, having seen her daughter transferred to the Clonmel branch, Ms O'Shea does not hold hope she will ever see the CDNT.
"I will probably never see them. My daughter will probably never receive any help from them.
"I do have to say, camhs have been excellent. They have a child psychologist that sees my child every three to four months.
"The problem with CDNT is they seem to push us towards workshops and self-help. When I brought my child to see the child psychologist in camhs, I couldn't beleive what they could tell me.
"For instance, my daughter can hear the electricity going to the socket in the wall. She can hear that.
"We could be sitting in our house, and my daughter can tell me when a car is coming up the start of the lane, which is a good mile and a half away, and you can't see it from the house."
"The minute she gets in the car, she turns off the radio. The psychologist explained to me, she is listened to the noise of the tyre of the tarmacadam. The noise of the engine, whatever other noises are going on in the car, and then whatever other noises are going on in the car.
"That is something you can't learn in a workshop."