Averil Power (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the groups for their presentations. As we have only three minutes, I will be brief. Each group has touched on the fact that SNAs are asked to do other educational or whole-school duties. I appreciate the research regarding the role of teaching assistants and anybody who is not properly educationally qualified in working with any child, particularly a child with special needs. The reason for that is that gaps exist elsewhere in the system with the pressures over the last few years due to cuts. Ms Griffin will correct me and say the cap in resource teachers, which has resulted in an effective cut in hours, has meant there is less educational support. That must be part of the picture.

We all agree that the SNAs should be restricted to a care role rather than being given educational duties for which they are not trained, but what is the impact of being stricter on that in the context of the other cuts? Will the child ultimately lose out? I was struck by a good idea in the NPC presentation, which was that of peer support. Does the council have a particular school in mind where it has seen that work, or has it been done elsewhere internationally? It strikes me as an interesting idea to encourage a child, rather than becoming too dependent on an adult, to have greater social interaction with their peers, as both sets of children gain from that relationship, not just the child with special needs. Does the council have a model in mind?

The NPC Post Primary presentation mentioned the lack of information for parents on the types of support available and the appropriate use of them.

Where exactly is this gap? The guide produced by the NCSE last year on supports for children with special needs was quite good and relatively easy to understand. Is it that parents do not have access to it or is there a gap in the materials which the witnesses feel needs to be addressed?