The Progression of Early Intervention Disability Services in Ireland

Abstract

The Republic of Ireland is an island situated in North West Europe inhabited by 4.6 million people with 2.8% aged between 0-4 years with a disability (Central Statistics Office, 2012).The Irish Government funds the Irish health services, which in turn directly and indirectly funds disability services. Education and Disability legislation have developed in parallel with an apparent increasing congruence with both moving towards a rights based approach. Today, Early Intervention disability services are delivered by both statutory and non-government agencies with wide variation and no national consistency in service provision. Some 2 components of the Developmental Systems Approach can be discerned in Irish service provision and these include: screening, access, comprehensive interdisciplinary assessment and early childhood programs. However, assessment of families, development and implementation, monitoring and outcome evaluation, and transition planning are not as identifiable. Guided by legislation and organisational restructuring, Early Intervention provision in Ireland is in a state of flux with an emphasis on developing national uniformity of family centred Early Intervention services.

Continuity of care experiences following the transition from Early Intervention Teams to Primary, Community and Continuous Care Teams in Ireland: A multi-perspective case study exploring the views of caregivers’ of children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder and service providers

“…This multiple case study design may provide 'heterogeneous cases' (Yin 2003) as the discharge and transition policies as well as coordination procedures inherent in each 'case' are likely to differ (personal communication with external collaborators/managers of EIT services). Currently, in these case contexts, at the age of 6 years and/or when children with ASD transition to primary school education (whichever occurs first) they are discharged from EITs and transition to PCCCTs as is the case across all HSE contexts in Ireland (Carroll et al 2013). This occurs across Ireland.…”

“…Social Work-SW and Social Care Practice-SCP) services. Following this period they are discharged from EIT services and undergo a transition to multidisciplinary, community-based primary health care teams referred to as PCCCTs (Carroll et al 2013).…”

Parenting, autism spectrum disorders and inner journeys

“…Contemporary Early Intervention services in Ireland are in a state of change (Carroll, Murphy and Sixsmith, ). While Early Intervention for children with special educational needs (SEN) is recognised internationally as essential for such children's optimal development, Early Intervention services for children in Ireland are unregulated and lack in cohesion.…”

“…When children go to primary school, the responsibility for Early Intervention ceases and multidisciplinary supports are transferred to the Department of Education and are provided for by school based teams. This transferral is frequently problematic as children are assigned to new waiting lists and sometimes these teams may not be established (Carroll, Murphy, and Sixsmith, ). In addition, Ireland has recently experienced a programme of austerity through which an embargo has been placed on the recruitment of therapists and other professionals.…”

“…While early learning initiatives have received increased emphasis, policy, and practice in relation to Early Childhood Intervention remain underdeveloped (Carroll, Murphy, and Sixsmith, ). ‘Progressing Disability Services for Children and Young People’ was initiated in 2011 as a collaborative programme amongst the HSE, the Department of Education and Skills, and the Department of Health and Children in an effort to redress the inadequacies and approaches to Early Intervention in Ireland and improve geographical access to resources ensuring equity of disability provision.…”