Emer Currie (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I have met many of those here already: Ms Jennings, Ms Jenkins, Ms Kenny, Ms Jones, Ms Poole and Sylvanna McDaniel who is not here. I thank them for coming. It is nice to meet the others too. It is to be hoped we can stay in contact after this. The system is upside down. We do not have a system that supports parents. The parents support the system.

Ms Jones' submission spoke of how these things are considered a luxury when they should be basic. Ms O'Mahony spoke today about how it is not child-centric or joined up. It is fragmented and piecemeal. Ms Jenkins is right that an industry has now developed. An ecosystem that is not working for families has developed around its survival. It highlights how important this committee's work will be.

I find it hard how it is often one step forward and two steps back. We opened a special school, Danú, in Dublin 15, but the behavioural therapist is there to engage directly with staff, not with children. It is not a full-time therapeutic service. I do not understand that. The summer provision is there to support the most vulnerable children, yet they are not the ones seeing the benefit. During the summer there were parents identifying the gaps in data and the need in Dublin 15 for special classes. It was not the NCSE leading this but a parents' group. We talk about these children being our most vulnerable but we do not have mandatory training. We expect the schools and the principals to adapt but we are not making that happen. All the answers are there. That is another frustration.

Will Mr. Kenny, Ms Jones and Ms Poole tell us what it is like when a parent comes to the support hub and how it helps them practically? What is the Dublin 15 hub doing that can be rolled out nationally? I ask that of the others too. I believe the answers are in this room.