I have a constituent who has a daughter with complex behavioural needs. She has severe ADHD and a mild learning disability. They recounted their story to me on Monday. It really drove home for me how much parents have to fight and advocate for everything for their children, the very real risk for too many families who are not equipped to do so and the subsequent gaps in how this Government and the State support children with special needs. In this particular case, it took nearly two years for early checks to be done on the child or for the child to get access to the CDNT in the area. It took another year to get involvement from CAMHS. This resulted in the family going privately for medication. All the while, the education supports were not forthcoming. The Department's approach on reallocation of resources has been nothing short of scandalous, a truly dispiriting display of callousness, ineptitude and neglect. It has been well established in this Chamber and outside of it that the criteria for allocation of resources for children with special needs are not comprehensive enough. They are simplistic. They do not recognise the principle of equity in addressing each child's experience and, as a result, are deeply unjust. As my constituent said to me, inclusion without adequate resourcing is not meaningful and we are storing up the problem for a much bigger one in the future. I could not agree more. I also pay particular tribute to the teachers, schools and SNAs who take care of children with special needs so well, who go above and beyond, even if this Government is not willing to do so and even when resources are not forthcoming, and who do everything to help, even when the Government does not. In this vein, I implore both the Minister and the Minister of State not to pit schools, parents or differing conditions against one another for those resources. That would be, as it has always been, an unmitigated disaster for everyone involved. Please do better.

Sentiment score: 0.02