Cavan Children's Disability Network Team
Children aged from birth to 18 years with complex needs who live in Cavan (apart from West Cavan).
This section will link to any upcoming events by the many agencies in Cavan involved in supporting children with disabilities and their families
This section contains links to useful resources (reading materials and universal supports), videos and webinars that can help parents support their child. They include local resources, made by CDNT team members., and links to third-party resources.
We warmly invite you to the next meeting of the CDNT Cavan Family Forum.
Date & Time: Tuesday, 21st October 2025, 10:00am -12:00pm
Venue: The Cavan Crystal Hotel, Dublin Road, Cavan. H12 P6E5
The Family Forum provides a space for families to come together, share experiences, and talk about general issues relating to the children’s disability services we provide. You will also hear updates from the Children’s Disability Network Manager about developments both locally and nationally. This is your opportunity to share your ideas on how services can be improved.
Please note: The Family Forum is not a space to discuss individual child issues. If you wish to talk about your own child’s needs, please contact our Children’s Disability Network Manager, Jane Hand.
Parent Representatives: Since our last Family Forum, we are delighted to welcome Rachel Mc Donagh and Serena Dawson as our new parent representatives. We are very grateful to them for volunteering their time and commitment to this role. Their contribution will be invaluable in helping to ensure that the voices of families are heard and represented.
Let us know if you’re attending : So that the hotel can set up the room appropriately and ensure there is enough space and seating for everyone, we would greatly appreciate if you could let us know in advance if you plan to attend. This will help us give the venue accurate numbers, avoid any capacity issues on the day, and make the day as comfortable and welcoming as possible for all families.
You can let us know if you plan to attend by replying to this email, or by contacting admin.cavan@enableireland.ie.
Thank you to parents/ guardians and children attending the service who joined us for our last coffee morning on the 20th of May.
The date of our next coffee morning is the 29th of October - details coming soon.
Enable Ireland is the lead agency for the Cavan Children’s Disability Network Team (CDNT) at Hillside, Rathcorrick, Co. Cavan. Children’s Disability Network Teams have been set up across the country as part of the National Progressing Disability Services (PDS) Programme. This programme aims to achieve a national unified approach to delivering children’s disability services. The central focus of this programme is to provide one clear pathway to services for each child with complex needs and their family, within their local area.
Enable Ireland Cavan, in partnership with the HSE, work with families to provide support to children and young people (up to the age of eighteen), with complex needs who live within their catchment area.
We deliver our services within a social model and provide an integrated, accessible and co-ordinated service in partnership with the children using our services and their families. We aim to offer support that is family-centred, by:
- treating families with dignity and respect.
- providing families with information that allows them to make informed decisions and choices.
- including active family involvement in identifying and accessing resources and supports.
- being responsive and flexible to family requests and desires within available resources.
We provide support across a range of settings depending on family priorities. This can include settings like our centre, family homes, community locations and children’s pre-schools or schools.
Our service is interdisciplinary meaning that team members from different professions work together with children/ young people and their families on common goals.
Families attending our CDNT can make a booking to use our hydrotherapy pool. Booking links will be sent via email every 5-6 weeks. We can also provide parents or SNA’s of children with our service with a guide to the facilities before booking. Click on the link below to watch a social story and video to prepare for a visit to our hydrotherapy pool.
FAQs
Children aged from birth to 18 years may be referred for services.
If you have a concern about a child’s development, ‘Children’s Services Referral Form’ can be completed by parents/legal guardians, health and social care professionals, GPs, education professionals, assessment of need officers or case managers. The completed forms can be sent to their local Children’s Disability Network Team. It is essential that signed parental consent is recorded on the referral form.
A referral can be made by a healthcare professional. Or you can make the referral yourself.
To do this:
- Complete the Children’s Services Referral Form (PDF, 106 KB, 11 pages)
- Complete an Additional Information Form for your child
The Additional Information Form lets you describe your child and what your concerns are. It will help to refer them to the right service for them.
Complete the Additional Information Form for children aged:
- 0 to 12 months (PDF, 130 KB, 7 pages)
- 1 to 3 years old (PDF, 204 KB, 10 pages)
- 3 to 6 years old (PDF, 221 KB, 12 pages)
- 6 to 12 years old (PDF, 183 KB, 10 pages)
- 12 to 18 years old (PDF, 166 KB, 9 pages)
These forms allow all PDS teams and disciplines/services to accept and prioritise referrals on a consistent and equitable basis. Completed referral forms can be sent to admin.cavan@enableireland.ie.
If you require further information or help to complete the referral forms, please contact the service on 049-4326990 or e-mail admin.cavan@enableireland.ie
Children aged from birth to 18 years with complex needs who live in Cavan (apart from West Cavan).
Services are delivered through an Interdisciplinary Team. This is a group of different health professionals that work together and in partnership with the child and their family. The child and family are key members of this team. Depending on a child’s need, members of the child’s team may include physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, psychology and social work. There are other disciplines on the team that can be accessed if a need is identified.
The team will provide supports for the child across a variety of settings including the home, education settings such as pre-school or school, community settings or within the CDNT centre.
The CDNT’s operate through a Family-Centred Practice model. This is an approach that focuses on the whole family and not just the child requiring support. It ensures that the family's priorities are considered when settling goals with the family.
All families that have a child attending the CDNT will have a keyworker. The keyworker will be named contact and act as a link between the family and the team. They will support families with any queries they may have about their service.
All families attending the CDNT will have an Individual Family Support Plan (IFSP). This is an agreed plan that identifies the child and family’s goals and priorities. The IFSP will also describe supports needed to achieve these goals. The IFSP looks at and documents the child’s strengths and achievements since the last plan was completed. As children grow and develop the goals on their IFSP will change with them.
Cavan Children's Disability Network Team
Rathcorrick,
Co. Cavan,
H12 NT26
