After a referral is made

This section gives a summary of the referral process in our Children’s Disability Network Teams (CDNTs) in Community Health Organisation 7 (CHO7). 

When a referral is received by a CDNT

A team of clinicians within the CDNT will look at all the information you’ve provided. They will use this information to decide on the most appropriate service for your child. 

Once that decision has been made, a member of the CDNT’s admin team will then contact you and let you know what will happen next. It will be one of the following scenarios:

  • If your child has not been accepted onto the CDNT, the Team will explain to you why. Based on the information provided in the referral, the CDNT may suggest that your child’s needs may be best met by Primary Care Services. The CDNT may also suggest a referral to CAMHs, based on your child’s identified needs.

    • If the support your child needs may be best met by Primary Care, the CDNT will forward your child's referral directly to the local Primary Care Services Team.

    • If a referral to CAMHS or CAMHS-ID has been suggested by the CDNT, you will be advised to go to your GP to make a referral to them. 

  • If your child has been accepted onto the CDNT
    • The Team will let you know the next steps and give you an idea of when you can expect to receive services.

For further information on the referral decision process, see Section 3 of the National Policy on Access to Services for Children and Young People with Disabilities and Developmental Delay. It explains the framework developed by the World Health Organisation (WHO) which is used by clinicians in their review of the information you have provided.  This policy also includes the “Form to assist with decisions on referrals” (Appendix 8.2) and an “Explanatory Guide” (Appendix 8.3) which the team of clinicians use to make the decision on the best service for your child.

Waiting for services

The length of time your child will wait for services varies in each CDNT. It depends on the type of support your child needs and the demand for services in your area.

Children will be seen in order of date of receipt of referral. Some children either at the point of referral or while they are on the waiting list may have urgent needs, such as equipment breakdown. Clinical judgement will form the basis of decisions, on an individual basis, as to a response to urgent needs. 

When information on a referral indicates there might be concerns of an urgent nature the CDNM or a member of the team may need to make contact with the parent or referrer to get more information. 

The response to an urgent need may be by one or more disciplines for a specific intervention to address the child’s and family’s needs. It is dependent on the resources available in the CDNT. 

You can read more about the prioritisation of referrals in the Interim revised national policy on prioritisation of referrals to CDNTs (November 2023)

Waiting lists for Dublin South, Kildare and West Wicklow (CHO7) CDNT services

There are waiting lists for each of our CDNTs in CHO7. We sincerely apologise for the upset and frustration this causes. 

How do I find out where my child is on the waiting list for their CDNT?

Contact your CDNT and they will confirm to you that the referral is in place. They may be able to give a broad estimate of when your child will be seen and advise you on what services you can access while you are on the waiting list. 

Support and Resources Section

Please see Supports and Resources section for support and information you can access if you are on one of our waiting lists.