Child Law

We regularly act in cases involving the rights of children and we provide advice and representation on all aspects of Child Law including;

• Acting for parents and guardians of children and dependants with disabilities and needs.
• Working on behalf of children who have applied for Assessments and Services to Health and Education Providers.
• Court Applications.
• Providing advice in Education Matters.

A link to some of our reported cases can be accessed below;

Irish Times - Three young siblings allege HSE failed to assess their needs

Irish Times Three brothers with suspected autism to be assessed by HSE following court action

Irish Examiner - Second family to sue HSE over assessment delays for child

Q&A :

Disability Act 2005
Assessment of Needs Report and Services for Children with disabilities

• What is an Assessment of Needs Report?

An Assessment of Needs report (AON Report) is a comprehensive report carried out by the HSE, that identifies if the child has a disability and their health and education needs.

• What is a Service Statement?

A Service Statement is a statement from the HSE, that follows the Assessment of Needs Report when a disability is found,  with the actual interventions and services available to the child, the expected start date and the service provider.

• How Long does it take to have the AON report and Service Statement?

After an application is made for an Assessment of Needs Report and the HSE has acknowledged the receipt of the same, the assessment must commence within 3 months and be completed no longer than 6 months.
The service statement should be received within one month after the completion of the AON report.

• What an Assessment of Needs and Service Statement look like?

Many Parents are uncertain if what they have is in fact an Assessment of Needs report or they believe they have the AON report and service statement but they don’t.

The First page of an AON Report and a Service Statement should look like these:                                                                                                                                                                                                  

• How can I apply for an Assessment of Needs Report?

Any parents who wish to apply for an Assessment of Needs Report, can download the Application form at the HSE website and post the completed application form to their Local Assessment Officer.

More information and the application form can be found at: this link here

• What is the Standard Operation Procedure (SOP) and why should it no longer be in operation?

The SOP is the procedure recently implemented and used by the HSE when carrying out the assessments to complete the Assessment of Needs report. This procedure was successfully challenged in one of our court’s cases and the High Court found it to be contrary to the Disability Act.

Any AON report done under the Standard Operation Procedure is not a proper assessment report and it does not comply with the law.

The main problems with the AON report done under the SOP are:

• Absence of Diagnosis,
• Clinical hours drastically reduced,
• Failure to identify the educational needs

Contact us:

We are happy to assist parents and guardians of children and dependants with disabilities and needs, who want to apply for an Assessment of Need Report or have applied for Assessments and Services from Health and Education Providers.
Email: info@rogerslaw.ie
Contact number: 01 539-0200