Ministers Foley and Higgins announce national campaign to promote careers in disability services

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Minister for Children, Disability and Equality Norma Foley and Minister of State with responsibility for Disability, Emer Higgins, today announced a new national awareness campaign to encourage more people to consider a career in disability services.

The campaign comes at a time of significant Government investment in disability services. Budget 2027 provides for an additional 930 posts in disability services next year, in addition to almost 1,000 additional whole-time equivalent posts provided for this year in the HSE Disabilities Services Pay and Numbers Strategy 2026.

The national campaign will highlight the wide range of rewarding career opportunities available across disability services. It will also showcase the important work carried out every day by staff supporting disabled people to live full and independent lives.

The campaign, which will support wider efforts to address workforce shortages across the disability sector and build a stronger pipeline of people interested in careers in disability services, is being undertaken in tandem with the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science’s initiatives to expand the provision of healthcare education places across Ireland’s higher education system.

This also builds on efforts to increase the number of training places for a range of Health and Social Care Professions. In 2025, Government approved 461 additional annual disability therapy training places, supporting expansion in areas including Occupational Therapy, Speech and Language Therapy, Physiotherapy, Dietetics, Social Work and Radiography. 274 additional such places were announced in July of this year by Minister for Further and Higher Education Research, Innovation, and Science James Lawless, along with Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill; Minister for Children, Disability and Equality Norma Foley; and Minister for Education and Youth Hildegarde Naughton.

Minister Foley said:

“The people who work in our disability services make an enormous difference to people with a disability and their families. I want more people to see the sector for what it is: a rewarding place to work where you can build a fulfilling career while making a real difference in people’s lives.

We are investing significantly in expanding and improving disability services, and we need to build the workforce to deliver those services now and into the future. This campaign will showcase the wide variety of careers available and encourage students, graduates, qualified professionals and people considering a career change to consider the opportunities available in disability services.”

Minister Higgins said:

“We know that recruitment to the disability sector is critical to its success. Building a strong and sustainable workforce is therefore essential if we are to continue expanding services and improving access to supports. There is an enormous variety of career opportunities across our disability services. We want people entering the workforce, as well as those considering a new direction in their career, to see the opportunities available and the hugely positive contribution they can make.

This campaign is about encouraging more people to bring their skills, experience and enthusiasm to disability services. A career in this sector is an opportunity to be part of a dedicated workforce, supporting people with a disability to live full and independent lives in their own communities.”

The campaign will take a sector-wide approach, highlighting opportunities across the HSE, Section 38 and Section 39 disability service providers. It will showcase careers across a range of settings including residential, respite and day services, Children’s Disability Network Teams and community-based supports.

The campaign will use a range of channels, including social media, radio and online video, with real-life stories from people working in and availing of disability services helping to showcase the range and impact of careers available.

The initiative forms part of wider work to respond to workforce challenges across disability services. The campaign will particularly seek to reach prospective undergraduate and postgraduate students, graduates, early-career professionals and people considering a career change. It will also seek to raise awareness of the education and training pathways that can lead to careers in disability services.

The campaign will direct people interested in these careers to gov.ie/disabilitycareers. There they will be able to learn more about disability services career options and employment opportunities, explore relevant courses and hear directly from people already working in the sector.

ENDS

Note for Editors:

  • Government has made substantial investments in healthcare education capacity in recent years to support healthcare workforce planning, strengthen disability and community services, support implementation of Sláintecare and deliver Programme for Government commitments.
  • Since 2022, Government has approved almost 1,700 additional annual healthcare training places across medicine, nursing, pharmacy, physiotherapy, disability therapies, social care and other priority health and social care professions.
  • This includes 200 additional annual medicine places delivered through the 2022 Medicine Expansion Agreement, alongside 612 additional annual places across medicine, nursing, pharmacy and veterinary medicine approved through the 2022 healthcare education expansion process.
  • Building on these measures, Government approved 461 additional annual disability therapy places in 2025, supporting significant expansion in Occupational Therapy, Speech and Language Therapy, Physiotherapy, Dietetics, Social Work, Radiography and other professions which play a critical role in disability and community services.
  • In July 2026, Government approved a further 274 annual health and social care training places, including additional capacity in Social Care, Occupational Therapy, Speech and Language Therapy, Educational Psychology, Clinical Psychology, Counselling Psychology, Audiology, Dietetics, Podiatry and Radiography.
  • Collectively, these investments will strengthen the pipeline of Irish-trained professionals entering disability, health and social care services and help ensure that services can grow in line with increasing demand.
  • Expanding domestic training capacity is a key component of workforce planning and supports delivery of Sláintecare reforms, the shift towards community-based care, improved disability service provision and the broader objectives set out in the Programme for Government.
  • The expansion programme is being delivered through higher education institutions across the country and will contribute to a sustainable long-term workforce for disability, health and social care services.

Additional disability-related places approved by Government since Programme for Government 2025

  • Disability Therapies Expansion (2025): 461 annual places
  • Health and Social Care Expansion (2026): 274 annual places
  • Combined total: 735 annual places

Key professions supported include:

  • Occupational Therapy
  • Speech and Language Therapy
  • Physiotherapy
  • Social Work
  • Social Care
  • Educational Psychology
  • Clinical Psychology
  • Counselling Psychology
  • Dietetics
  • Audiology
  • Podiatry
  • Radiography