Figures released by the HSE indicate that more than 18,000 children were overdue for completion of their Assessment of Need (AON) in the third quarter of 2025.
According to a document reviewed by BreakingNews.ie, a total of 18,097 children remain overdue for their AONs, with 15,256 of them waiting longer than three months, reports Breaking News.
This represents a nine per cent increase compared to the Q2 figure of 16,593. Additionally, there are 891 cases in which an extended completion period was agreed upon with parents due to exceptional circumstances.
The HSE has attributed the rise to 2,957 new AON applications being received during Q3, bringing the total number of applications in 2025 so far to 9,570, reports Breaking News.
This marks a 22 per cent rise compared to the same time last year, when 7,852 applications had been recorded.
However, the organisation also projected that the number of applications could reach as many as 13,000 by year’s end, reports Breaking News.
During Q3 2025, 1,616 AONs were completed — a 54 per cent jump from the same period in 2024, when 1,047 were finalised.
The proportion of AONs indicating ‘No Disability’ has grown from 15.8 per cent in 2010 to 29 per cent in 2025, reports Breaking News.
The region with the largest number of children still awaiting AON completion is the HSE Dublin, Dublin and Midlands area, where 6,585 children remain on the list. Of these, 5,934 have been waiting longer than three months.
This region includes Dublin South City, Dublin West, Dublin South West, Kildare, West Wicklow, Laois, Offaly, Longford and Westmeath, reports Breaking News.
Within the HSE Dublin and North East region, 5,577 children are overdue for assessment, with 4,733 waiting over three months.
This region covers North Dublin, Louth, Meath, Monaghan and most of Cavan, reports Breaking News.
In the Dublin and South East region — which includes Dublin South, Wicklow, Carlow, Kilkenny, South Tipperary, Waterford and Wexford — 2,752 children remain overdue for AON completion, 2,190 of whom have been waiting beyond three months.
Across the HSE South West, encompassing Cork and Kerry, 1,569 children are overdue for AONs, with 1,126 waiting longer than three months, reports Breaking News.
In the West and North West — covering Donegal, Sligo, Leitrim, West Cavan, Mayo, Galway and Roscommon — 1,132 children are overdue, including 851 waiting more than three months.
At HSE Mid West, which includes Clare, Limerick and North Tipperary, 482 children remain overdue, reports Breaking News.
The HSE stated that by the end of Q3 2025, a total of 4,544 AONs had been completed.
It also confirmed that between June 2024 and September 2025, 6,378 AONs were commissioned from private providers, reports Breaking News.
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