The Irish Independent's View: As Dail returns, focus must turn to welfare of our children

"Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald raised the heartbreaking case of nine-year-old Harvey Morrison Sherratt, who died in July. "He was failed by the Government. Harvey's case is not an isolated case. Such failures are shamefully a hallmark of your Government," she told Taoiseach Micheál Martin. Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns also raised the case, slating the Government for painfully slow progress on the issue of disability. "Sixteen thousand children are overdue an assessment of need, essential therapies are non-existent and hundreds of children left in agony waiting for spinal surgery," she said."

"We used to share a comforting, but what now seems somewhat delusional, notion - given how our society has changed - "that it takes a village to raise a child". Today, it may take the State. And if that is the case, we need to do better. The onus is on state agencies to make sure children are supported. Modern living has put personal interaction at a minimum; community oversight is no longer guaranteed."

Children are experiencing critical failures in health and disability services, exemplified by the death of nine-year-old Harvey Morrison Sherratt after unacceptable treatment. Sixteen thousand children await assessments of need, essential therapies are lacking, and hundreds endure long waits for spinal surgery. Although there has been increased investment and growth in services, significant gaps persist. Rising cost-of-living pressures are worsening child poverty, prompting calls for an emergency package and targeted budget measures. Weakening social and community oversight increases reliance on the State to ensure timely, effective care and protection for vulnerable children.

Read at Irish Independent