Children's Disability Network Team (CHODNCC)

Avista is a Section 38 Organisation fully funded by the HSE. We operate autonomously with an independent Board of Directors.

We are a person-centred, rights-based organisation that is dedicated to improving the lives of children and adults with intellectual disabilities. We currently provide services in Limerick, North Tipperary, and Dublin. Our mission at Avista is to work together with the people we support to live their best lives through the delivery of quality services while promoting their roles as active citizens in an inclusive society.

​Avista Children’s Services aims to support each child develop and build skills to support them towards their best life.

We do this through by providing specialist therapeutic assessments and interventions through our local Children’s Disability Network Teams – or CDNTs – to children and young people with complex disabilities and/or developmental delays in the East Limerick and North Dublin catchment areas. The services are operated in partnership between Avista and the Health Service Executive (HSE) through the Progressing Disability Services (PDS) National programme.

The Avista PDS networks aims to provide all children who need services and supports to have equity of access local to them.

Avista aims to work with families to deliver services in line with the 12 principles of the Progressing Disabilities National Programme.

The CRC is a voluntary organisation and national charity working with children and adults with disabilities and currently employs approximately 400 people. CRC Children’s Disability Network Team is currently co-located with Scoil Mochua, a special school in Clondalkin for children with disabilities.

In February 2023, the CDNT will be moving to a state of the art, brand new HSE Primary Care Centre on Boot Road, in Clondalkin. Our children’s services have two main divisions:

Regional general disability services in Dublin City and County, including CHO9, that reconfigured and grew to five new teams under the new model of care in September 2021.

Our children’s network teams work with parents and families to make a positive difference despite the challenges that can come with disabilities. We offer specific medical and clinical services for children, young people and adults with disabilities.

CRC also has a national specialist multidisciplinary services providing expertise to children with physical disabilities from every county in Ireland.

This national specialist services team provides a range of medical, therapeutic and assistive technology services to children with complex disabilities and rare conditions.

We are the trustees for two special schools in Clontarf and Clondalkin which are responsible for the education of 161 children with disabilities.

The HSE provides public health and social care services to everyone living in Ireland.

The HSE provides and funds a range of services for people with disabilities. These services include basic health services as well as assessment, rehabilitation, income maintenance, community care and residential care respite, home care and day care.

Some services are provided directly by the HSE and some by voluntary organisations with grant aid from the HSE.

People with disabilities are entitled to services which include medical cards, prescribed medicines, medical and surgical aids and appliances, hospital services, dental, optical and aural services. People with disabilities are entitled to avail of the range of community care services including public health nurse (PHN), home help, personal assistance, psychological services, speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, social work services, physiotherapy, day care and respite.

Children’s Disability Network Teams are for children aged from birth to 18 years who have complex needs. A child has complex needs if they have a range of difficulties which need the support of a team of professionals who work very closely together. There are 11 Children’s Teams spread across DSKWW.

St Michaels House is a large community based Voluntary service to children and adults with disabilities in North & South Dublin. They are a strategic leader in the provision of rights-based, person centred & evidence informed community services to over 2,000 adults and children with a disability.

St. Michael’s House is a values-driven, innovative and transformative organisation. Their core values are respect, kindness, honesty, excellence and creativity. Their core vision is one where people of all abilities can live a life of their choosing. Their mission is to ensure service user’s needs are met, and that their wishes and goals are achieved; ‘Your Life, Your Rights, Your Choices’.

The organisation is committed to valuing and investing in their staff. They nurture a collaborative working environment and promote a supportive career path for clinicians and healthcare workers. Staff are supported to develop their competency through training and further education. Their Open Training College (OTC) is a leader in Adult education in the area of frontline management and social care & has developed an innovative ‘Earn as you Learn’ scheme which allows people to work for SMH while studying for an approved qualification.

In pursuit of a high quality evidence informed service, SMH has engaged in strategic Research partnerships with University College Dublin & Dublin City University as well as strong collaborative relationships with other leading Irish Universities and training colleges such as Trinity College Dublin and Marino Training College.