Marc Ó Cathasaigh (Waterford, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for appearing before the committee and her opening statement. In preparing this morning, I had a look at Circular 30/14, which is still the central circular in terms of SNA allocation. It speaks a little to Deputy Ó Ríordáin's point, which is about the professionalisation of this workforce. I do not for a second question the professionalism of any of the SNAs with whom I have worked, who were exemplary in their professionalism. It is a question of how they are treated within schools and how their roles are understood.

I had a look at that circular from 2014, which cited a review from the then Department of Education and Skills that found the deployment of SNAs in schools had, in practice, moved away from the objectives originally envisaged, which were to provide for children's care needs, and had moved towards SNA involvement in behavioural, therapeutic, pedagogical, teaching and administrative duties. I wonder if we held that review today would there be any less confusion around the roles that SNAs play within schools.

One of my concerns is that we are seeing expansion of SNA numbers, which is extremely welcome, but we saw a retrenchment in 2011. That review was titled a value for money and policy review. We found the number of SNAs being cut because we began to perhaps more strictly define or implement criteria under which SNAs were employed in schools. One of the worries I have if we do not professionalise and put this career on a more solid professional footing is that we could lose people from our schools again.

I have reviewed some of the primary care needs. I know members of Fórsa will come before the committee and SNAs will speak about what they do in schools. To give a flavour of the work, I point out "administration of medicine". What a huge responsibility that is to put on somebody. There is also reference to assistance with toileting and general hygiene, including catheterisation. I have had SNAs contact me who feel that is a big request for somebody who really does not enjoy a great deal of security, either in terms of tenure or pay and conditions. There is also reference to assistance with moving and lifting children and the operation of hoists and equipment. Some of the duties we ask SNAs to carry out in our schools carry huge responsibility and are very onerous. There should be a reflection of that.

My time is short and I am using much of it. Will the Minister of State tell me more about the course being run out of UCD? Will she detail the intake and educational background of SNAs coming into the course. Fórsa has provided some figures about the level of qualifications within the SNA workforce but there is no detail as to whether these are specifically education-based. Who are the people turning up to this course? How long is the programme? We could compare or contrast different benchmarks in qualifications so where would I find myself with a course of this length?

Will the Minister of State provide some detail on what is included in the curriculum of the course? When the SNAs emerge from this course what will they have been trained in? Does this speak to our understanding of the role within schools?