Children’s needs cases settled as High Court judge seeks reform

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

High Court judge Charles Meenan welcomed settlements in about 20 children’s needs cases at a hearing on 25 January 2023; the cases concerned HSE assessments under the Disability Act 2005.

The unnamed applicants sought orders requiring the HSE to begin or complete assessments, or declarations that assessments had not been completed within a reasonable time. Their cases related to children with special needs; the applicants’ identities were withheld for legal reasons.

Around 11 cases concerning educational needs assessments by the National Council for Special Education remained outstanding. Counsel for the Minister for Education said the council was working on a proposed process, while the judge adjourned the matters to February for an update and said he wanted to reduce the need for families to bring such actions.