Eileen Flynn (Independent) | Oireachtas source

A question was asked earlier today at the Joint Committee on Autism on training for teachers and special needs assistants, SNAs, on how to work with young children. The Joint Committee on Autism had appear before it many different parents' support groups set up by parents themselves and they discussed how teachers should be trained properly. As the Minister has stated that new teachers coming through will have inclusive education, can she explain what she means by inclusive education? Is that just about special needs or does it include all forms, such as the needs of people from ethnic minority groups?

I was speaking to AsIAm a few weeks ago and its representatives said that while we have a lot of buildings and schools for children with special needs, we do not have the services within the schools. It is one thing to have a building but the services are more important and meeting the children where they are at. One of the organisations that appeared today, I think it was the Dublin 12 Campaign 4 Autism Inclusion group, said it is extremely important that we see the child, the young person, and meet them where they are at. The parents of some children with special additional needs believe themselves that their children should be in mainstream schools. So those services should be there.

The committee met representatives of the Irish National Teachers Organisation, INTO, a few weeks ago and they spoke about the budget going forward. They only have four requests but the one on which I want to focus is mental health supports within our schools.

Something that has not been touched on as we come up to the budget concerns SNAs. Will there be an increase in SNA payments this year in budget 2023? While I welcome that there are now 19,000 SNAs in the system, I regret to say they are not valued and their qualification is not recognised. This is not a personal attack on the Minister. I am myself a qualified SNA and I know what it is like to work in a classroom with children with complex needs and how we should value our SNAs. Those are my questions.