Thousands of children across Ireland are still waiting for an initial appointment with a Child Disability Network Team, with families in North and South Tipperary among those affected by long delays.
HSE figures show that 8,200 children were on waiting lists for first contact with a CDNT at the end of March, including 5,261 children who had been waiting for more than 12 months. The overall figure marks a fall from 8,648 children recorded at the end of 2025.
The figures show that Tipperary is split across two HSE regions, meaning waiting-list pressures affecting families in the county are recorded under separate regional totals.
North Tipperary falls within HSE Mid West, which also covers Clare and Limerick. In that region, 1,109 children were awaiting first contact with a CDNT, including 599 children who had been waiting for more than a year.
South Tipperary is counted within HSE Dublin and South East, alongside Carlow, Kilkenny, Waterford, Wexford, most of Wicklow and parts of South Dublin. That region had the second-largest waiting list nationally, with 2,078 children awaiting first contact. Of those, 1,432 children had been waiting longer than 12 months.
The split means there is no single headline waiting-list figure for Tipperary in the regional data, despite children in both the north and south of the county being affected by delays.
Nationally, HSE Dublin Midlands had the largest waiting list, with 2,252 children awaiting first contact. Of these, 1,669 had been waiting longer than a year. The area includes Dublin South City and West, Dublin South West, Kildare, West Wicklow, Laois, Offaly, Longford and Westmeath.
HSE Dublin North East recorded 1,908 children waiting for first contact, with 1,269 waiting over a year. The region includes North Dublin, Louth, Meath, Monaghan and most of Cavan.
HSE West and North West, covering Donegal, Leitrim, Sligo, West Cavan, Mayo, Galway and Roscommon, had 452 children awaiting contact, while HSE South West, covering Cork and Kerry, had 401 children on waiting lists.
The figures come amid continuing staffing pressures across CDNT services. A report showed that, as of October 2025, the vacancy rate across CDNT posts stood at 18%, with 457 positions unfilled.
The HSE is the lead agency for 43 of the country’s 93 CDNTs. Enable Ireland operates 20 teams, while Brothers of Charity provides six.
Among providers, Enable Ireland had funding for 502.3 whole-time equivalent posts, with 85% filled. Brothers of Charity had 208.9 funded whole-time equivalent posts, with 89% filled.
The highest vacancy rate was recorded in Clonmel, Co. Tipperary, where 54% of posts were vacant. Gorey in Co Wexford and Waterford North City each had vacancy rates of 52%.
At regional level, Dublin and South East had the highest vacancy rate, with one quarter of posts unfilled.
Occupational therapy posts remain under pressure, with 27% vacant, equivalent to 40.9 unfilled positions. Clinical psychology vacancies were also high, with 44% of posts unfilled, or 41.6 vacancies.
There are 93 Child Disability Network Teams aligned with 96 Community Healthcare Networks nationwide. The teams provide services and supports for children and young people from birth to 18 years of age.
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