Vulnerable children in Limerick 'languishing' for years on waiting lists for therapies, report finds
The findings are included in new research published by Mary Immaculate College, which reveals a critical need for increased onsite multidisciplinary support in Deis schools across Limerick City.
The Limerick municipal district has one of the highest percentages of people living in extreme disadvantage in the country, in addition to almost 42% of the State's unemployment blackspots.
Deis band 1 schools in the area are often being left to make difficult decisions about access to critical therapies due to a lack of available services, the study found.
Thirteen schools in the Oscailt Network, a collective of Deis schools in Limerick City facilitated by Mary Immaculate, took part in the research.
These schools serve some of the city's most socioeconomically disadvantaged communities, including Ballinacurra Weston, Southill, St Mary's Park, and Moyross.
The research, conducted by the Transforming Education through Dialogue Project at the college's Curriculum Development Unit, identifies an urgent and growing need for services such as creative therapies, family support services, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, and enhanced access to the National Educational Psychological Service.
The scale of need has also intensified in the wake of the covid-19 pandemic.
The study found there was a marked increase in service uptake when interventions were provided onsite in schools. Big challenges in the health and education systems, such as staff shortages and long waiting lists, are stopping children and young people from getting the support they need, according to Dr Ruth Bourke, lead researcher of the report.
'These delays are holding them back in both their education and access to healthcare, which affects their overall wellbeing and future chances in life.
"But this situation can change. What we need now is a joined-up, well-planned strategy that brings schools, services, and communities together to give these students the right support, when and where they need it.'
Mary Immaculate College president Professor Dermot Nestor said the research highlighted how "poverty, trauma, and a lack of access to services are holding children back".
He added: "What is striking is how much these schools are already doing to respond to the wider social and economic pressures their students live with daily, often well beyond their core role."
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With adequate support and effective treatment, it's possible to navigate the highs and lows of parenthood, while managing one's mental health. To all the parents silently battling psychological and emotional challenges while packing lunches, reading bedtime stories, and kissing scraped knees: Your efforts are not invisible. Your struggle does not make you weak. And your love, even on the hardest days, is enough. Dr Colman Noctor is a child psychotherapist
