THE HSE IS seeking private service providers to support autism diagnostic assessments for children and adolescents amid a rise in waiting list numbers.

Over 15,000 children are currently waiting for an Assessment of Need, which is a formal procedure, set out under the Disability Act 2005, that identifies a child’s health and educational needs.

The aim of an Assessment of Need under the Disability Act is to identify whether a person has a disability, the nature and extent of the disability, any health and education needs arising from that disability, as well as what services are required to meet those needs.

In May, the HSE projected that that waiting list number will grow to over 25,000 by the end of the year if the service is not provided with additional funding and resources.

The waiting list has been highlighted by teenage campaigner Cara Darmody who has lobbied the government in recent years over the issue.

Activist Cara Darmody outside the Dáil earlier this year during a protest. The Journal The Journal

Taoiseach Micheál Martin told the Dáil earlier this year that the HSE was not in a position to “fulfil the law” when it comes to meeting the statutory six-month timeline for providing assessments of needs for children with disabilities.

The HSE has now announced that it’s looking for “qualified and experienced” service providers to submit a proposal for inclusion on panels for the provision of autism diagnostic assessments for children and adolescents in Ireland.

HSE chief executive Bernard Gloster said that it was establishing a panel to address the backlog.

The panel will be in place for one year with the option to extend for a further year, subject to demand and funding.

“Every effort is being made to have the panel established as soon as possible so that more assessments can be made for the children on the waiting list,” Gloster said.

Interested service providers will be requested to submit an application if they are confident that they have both the level of capacity and suitably qualified and experienced expertise within their organisation to deliver the number of assessments they are proposing in their submission.