Figures from the HSE show 7,500 children are waiting for first contact with a Child Disability Network Team at the end of April.
This is a drop from the 8,200 children who were waiting for first contact at the end of March, reports Breaking News.
Of the 7,500 children waiting for first contact at the end of April, 4,776 are waiting for over a year.
The Regional Healthcare Area with the highest number of children waiting for first contact is HSE Dublin South East, with 1,946 children on waiting lists, reports Breaking News.
Of those children, 1,381 are waiting over a year for first contact.
This area covers Carlow, Kilkenny, South Tipperary, Waterford, Wexford and most of Wicklow, reports Breaking News.
HSE Dublin Midlands, which covers Dublin South City and West, Dublin South West, Kildare, West Wicklow, Laois, Offaly, Longford and Westmeath, has 1,933 children waiting for first contact, including 1,423 waiting for over a year.
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HSE Dublin and North East, which covers North Dublin, Louth, Meath, Monaghan and most of Cavan, has 1,743 children waiting for first contact, of whom 1,091 are waiting for over a year, reports Breaking News.
At HSE Midwest, covering Clare, Limerick and North Tipperary, 1,035 children are waiting for first contact with 604 waiting over a year.
HSE West and North West, which provides care for Donegal, Leitrim, Sligo, West Cavan, Mayo, Galway and Roscommon, had 127 children waiting for first contact at the end of April, reports Breaking News.
A report in October 2025 found there was an 18% vacancy rate for positions within Child Disability Network Teams, with 457 posts unfilled.
The HSE is the biggest lead agency over the 93 CDNTs, providing 43 of them, with Enable Ireland providing 20 and Brothers of Charity providing six, reports Breaking News.
The HSE said the Whole Time Equivalent of the CDNTs has increased by 28% since October 2023, with an extra 448 staff on teams, of which 320 are Health and Social Care Professionals on CDNTs across the country.
The National Service Plan 2026 outlines growth of 1,050 WTE during 2026, with the number of sanctioned posts and related funding available to recruit into any disability posts to be within the overall WTE of 23,664 by the end of 2026, reports Breaking News.
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