Courts / Ireland / Report

Damages claim brought over delay in assessing needs of 4 year old boy

Summary

In a High Court case, a mother has brought a claim for exemplary damages against the HSE, alleging an excessive delay in assessing her four‑year‑old son's special needs. The mother first applied for an assessment in 2016, but the HSE mistakenly closed the application after three months, stating the child had no disability. After the mother appealed, the application was reinstated, yet the assessment report was not completed until November 2017, 14 months after the initial request. The child, diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, has speech, language, emotional, attention and concentration difficulties. In February 2018 the mother contacted the Early Intervention Team, which told her the child would have to wait six months for services; nine months later the wait was extended by another eight months.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Damages claim brought over delay in assessing needs of 4 year old boy. Procedural stage: hearing_or_decision

When:

• November 2017 Other
• February 2018 Other
• 2018-12-04 Publication

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Stage Hearing Or Decision

Read the original CNI report