Ms Áine Lynch:

The National Parents Council considers the special needs assistant scheme effective in meeting the needs of children who have specific care needs. It supports children who have care needs that could not be ordinarily fully met by the teacher to access school placement. The council believes the SNA scheme has contributed significantly to the enhancement of students' experiences in school.

Notwithstanding this however, the council believes the role of the SNA in the school needs to be reviewed and more clearly defined. Research has shown that, despite the defined duties in circular 07/02, SNAs often engage in extended functions. Children with special education needs require the most specialised and skilled professionals to support them to access the curriculum. While the SNA entry requirements are appropriate for the role as set out in circular 07/02, it is the view of the council that they are not appropriate for the extended functions they may be engaging in as cited in the value for money report. In particular, the council has significant difficulty with the role of the SNA as set out in the circular vis-à-vis children presenting with behavioural challenges.

Behavioural challenges alone do not qualify a child for SNA support. However, the circular states a child is entitled to SNA support when “their behaviour is such that they are a danger to themselves or to other pupils”. A child whose behaviour is a danger to themselves or to other children has very complex needs. This shows a clear example of where a child that requires the most specialised of supports is receiving support from a person who has not had the training to effectively work with this child. When a person who has not received the appropriate training engages with a child with such complex needs, the outcome can often be extremely negative for the individual child involved, the SNA, other children and the teacher in the classroom.

The council believes the allocation of SNA support should be clearly linked to an individualised plan which has been prepared for the child. This plan would clearly identify the care needs of the child, how these needs would be met while ensuring that at all times a focus is maintained on the development of a child's independence skills. The council is concerned that an overdependency on SNA support can lead to social isolation of children as the presence of an adult can create a barrier and so make normal interaction more difficult. We would suggest other types of support including peer support be examined further at school level. There is some evidence to suggest that peer support can have a positive impact on student's behaviour and can lead to a reduction in the need for SNA support.

The council believes parents should have support and information about the different resources available for their child in the education system and the function of each support. Parents often get caught in a fight for any resource rather than a fight for the right resource, due to lack of information on their child's needs and how these needs should effectively be met.

Circular 07/02 lists the duties of the SNA in detail. They are varied and wide ranging from tidying classrooms to assisting children with their intimate hygiene needs. The council believes there should be an overarching statement of priority regarding these duties. This role needs to be strongly child-centred with a statement of this principle present in all references to the post. When there are competing demands on the SNA's time, the child must always be prioritised. It is important for this to be stated rather than assumed.

The council believes there should be an accredited compulsory basic training course for all SNAs. SNAs are often supporting the most vulnerable children in the school and basic training regarding understanding children's needs, communication skills and basic child protection knowledge should be included in a short initial training course. The mere fact the SNA is working under the supervision and guidance of the classroom teacher will not ensure they are able to effectively carry out their duties.