Peter Fitzpatrick (Louth, Independent) | Oireachtas source

A child's right to education is enshrined in our Constitution and under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. All children, including children with disabilities and children with special needs, have the right to free primary education up to the age of 16. What defines a person with special needs? A person has special educational needs if his or her capacity to participate in and benefit from education is restricted due to an enduring physical, sensory, mental health or learning disability.

We spoke earlier about kids going to mainstream schools. I welcome this, especially when siblings also attend the school as the brothers and sisters can all feel part of the family. I visit many of the schools in the Dundalk region and I see all the work being done with learning supports, resource teachers and special needs assistants. They are doing a fantastic job. I am a parent and grandparent. All people want is for our children to reach their full potential. I have sat with teachers and principals who have given out about the teacher training programme. They told me it needs to be updated to ensure teachers are properly trained to get people with disabilities up to a certain standard. I ask the Minister of State to consider that.

Parents call to my constituency office to tell me that services are not in place or there is not enough money or resources available.

The issue most people come to me about is accessibility. They want to get their child assessed to see exactly what is wrong with them. The reason assessments are done is to see what services are needed to meet the child's needs under the 2005 Act and identify the child's health and education needs. When the assessment of needs is completed, the assessment officer will write an assessment and if the child is deemed to have a disability, the assessment report will be given to a liaison officer. The liaison officer then uses the report to draw up a service statement with a list of services the HSE proposes to provide to meet the child's needs. The assessment officer can refer the matter to a relevant public body.

Numerous issues with the assessment of needs process have emerged, including poor access provision for assessment of special needs for school-aged children and using a diagnostic-led rather than a needs-led model. A 2020 report by the Ombudsman for Children, entitled Unmet Needs, examined the challenges faced by children in Ireland who require an assessment of needs. The ombudsman noted that the 2005 Act has been commenced in full for persons under the age of five but the assessment of special needs in the furtherance of a child's education plan has not. Indeed, the Minister of State with responsibility for disability, Deputy Anne Rabbitte, noted that the percentage of assessments of needs required has increased from 25% in 2011 to 55% in 2019. The ombudsman said there was a lack of consistency across all public bodies.

People keep coming to my constituency office about this issue. A child coming in could have ADHD, bad hearing, physical needs, autism or anything else. This child is loved by the parents and all they are looking for is help. The thing they keep asking for is a good communication line between the Department of Education and the Department of Health. The child has to be assessed. I keep using that word. It is like everything else. To get into system and find out exactly what is wrong, you have to get assessed. I have seen parents going to credit unions or banks and getting loans to get the information they need for their child privately because at the end of the day people cannot move on until they are diagnosed. What is the plan going forward?

The Minister of State is good and I know she is trying her hardest. There has been a lot of pressure in the last number of months because of children not being able to get assessed for school in September. It is very important that everybody works together on this. Not a day goes by in my constituency office that someone does not come in asking for help. I mentioned mainstream schools and kids wanting to go to school with their siblings. It is a matter of putting the system right. Do the Departments of Education and Health talk to each other, plan and see what is happening? I have seen some of those kids coming into my office. I have nothing but admiration for parents. I have never come across a parent who would give their child back but the system seems to have failed them. Recently, a school in Togher in County Louth was under severe pressure because of SNAs and teachers. The situation went on for 18 months. In fairness, the Department had a look at it, put its hands up and said the system was wrong and rectified it. The system is not perfect. I ask the Minster of State to ensure these teachers are properly trained. My daughter is an SNA and I am so proud of her. She comes home some days having been bitten and kicked and everything else and she has not one bad thing to say. Parents are looking for a bit of help. I trust the Minister of State will help us.

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