Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

When one speaks about children accessing information and administrative practices, including children with disabilities, it is necessary try to join up some dots. One must also try to work with appropriate persons, for example, special needs assistants because what is acceptable in one setting may not be acceptable in an educational setting. It is fantastic that a child with a disability is able to access a school but if he or she uses a wheelchair, he or she will need toilet assistance, for example, the use of a hoist. The duty of care and child protection guidelines indicate that two people are required for this purpose. However, there is a shortage of special needs assistants. Does the Ombudsman for Children have an input in directing the Department of Education and Skills towards best practice? This is an issue for parents and teachers and, most important, involves the rights of the child in question. However, when children are young parents will be grateful to have a special needs assistant or a certain number of resource hours allocated to their child. As a result, we are not going far enough in certain cases.