Families of children with disabilities in counties Monaghan and Cavan face discrimination when they seek respite services, Sinn Féin TD Matt Carthy has told the Dáil Public Accounts Committee. “Children living in other counties, living in the exact same circumstances, receive respite services that are denied to those living in my constituency,” Deputy Carthy stated, attributing the situation to the different criteria applied by the HSE in different counties. “Concerning disability services, particularly respite services, there are anomalies in different areas and even within CHOs, which result in discrimination against some children and their families based on where they live,” Deputy Carthy told the committee.
“I have been dealing with a number of people in Cavan-Monaghan who are trying to secure respite care for their children. One horrendous case involves a family that is going through hell not just because of the child’s needs and disabilities and the family’s general need for respite care but also because other members of the family are seriously ill and the pressure is crazy. The difficulty is that in Cavan-Monaghan, the HSE has a criteria statement of purpose for respite care that is…
