Mr. Brendan Doody:

I was before the committee in April when we indicated that they were new so we certainly have an update. To put it into a broader context, the fact we have these programmes speaks to the importance we place on the concept of transitions. I have been involved in the area of DEIS and social inclusion for quite a long time, going back to 2005 when DEIS was introduced. At that point, and for quite a few years, our concern was whether the students make a transition. Our thinking has developed considerably since then and our focus is now on the quality of the students' transition. Let us look at what is in place now that was not in place many years ago. The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, NCCA, has put together an education passport for young people to support their transition from primary school to post-primary school. Equally, on the early years side, there is the Mo Scéal programme, meaning my story, the purpose of which is to inform practice in primary schools. There is a lot going on in the space around transitions. For example, we are collaborating with colleagues in the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth around their development of a policy on transition. There are a lot of moving parts.

Specifically with respect to our two programmes, the first and obvious question is why we have two programmes. The answer is that one arises as an action directly from the comprehensive employment scheme, CES, for people with disabilities. We have a specific action to put in place, which is to support young people to make an effective transition from school to the best post-school option for them. For example, we are conscious of the significantly high rate of unemployment among young people with disabilities in comparison with their peers. There is a lot of work to be done in that space. We know the post-school options for some young people with complex educational needs are more limited, but we want to support them to make the best choice possible. In some instances that may mean a supported employment offering; in others it may mean a further education placement to allow them to try it; in some instances, it may even mean a higher education placement; and in others the provision of adult disability services. Whatever the option is, we want all options to be explored in great detail.

Our CES transitions pilot involved 20 schools until recently. Unfortunately, one has pulled out and I will explain why in a moment. They are in two clusters, one of ten schools in Galway and one of ten schools in Dublin. One of the schools in Dublin has unfortunately found it difficult to source a teacher to work with students and it has unfortunately pulled out for the time being. We will continue to work with the school to try to support it to continue as its staff were positive about their engagement with the scheme.

In respect of what is expected of the schools, each school gets an additional 12 hours of teaching. It is very much a teacher-led programme, designed to ensure whatever barriers are blocking the best option from being available to the young person will be removed. Teachers work with students to identify the best pathway for each student. The programme has two core themes, one is to identify and progress the skills necessary for life and the other is how to support young people to make the best informed judgments. They are the two core themes. Business in the Community is involved in this programme which is proving successful. It has not previously been involved with special schools and a number of the 20 schools are special schools. Most of them are post-primary mainstream schools. The target audience for this is students who are in the final two years of their senior cycle. We have included a small number of students in transition year as well. As work placement is a key element of transition year, the students have opportunities. The student voice was mentioned by Deputy Tully and it is important in this programme. In programmes such as this we use the Lundy model to weave the student voice into the work so that, to the greatest extent possible, the students lead on what they need and what supports they can benefit from. Ideally, we are talking about a bespoke response at an intense level as the schools have 12 teaching hours to work with the students.

As I said, we only started in April. We are still in the early days of the programme but it might be helpful to give the committee an idea of what some of the students are doing. Bear in mind that the focus is on teaching the young person. The additional hours allow for specific focused attention on teaching things like transport training, which is coming up in a lot of the schools. It involves, for example, making sure the young person knows how to take a bus, how to use the Leap card if they are in Dublin - I am not sure whether there is a Leap card equivalent in Galway; that shows my ignorance - and how to use the bus and other public transport safely. Living skills such as sorting and tidying sequences are another example, that is teaching students how to look after themselves. Social skills and social norms are taught and mock interviews are part of an approach being followed for some young people. It is wonderful to see that some young people are being supported to gain Safe Pass certification. Schools may not have been able to support them at the level of intensity required to get a Safe Pass without the programme. That has been beneficial. CV preparation and career preparation are also taught. The programme is in development. We have a co-ordinator who is doing a fantastic job. The NCSE is involved in guiding the programme and will evaluate it as it goes on. The programme is teacher-led.

The second programme is along the same theme but is quite different in its approach. It involves a collaboration with an NGO based in Walkinstown called WALK, which is new for us. It looks after young people and older people with intellectual disabilities. Walk focuses on the same target group, mostly in special schools. This programme is a prepared programme with a manual. It is WALK's peer programme. It is an off-the-shelf programme delivered by facilitators employed through WALK. The facilitators do some of the same initiatives but one key difference is that it is not teacher led and the second key difference is that the peer programme continues to support the young person for three years post transition. That is important. The support that may be required to retain a young person in an employment or further education setting continues for three years. On the CES transitions programme, there is a possibility of some further follow-up with a student who has left school, but teachers do not have the same capacity to engage with all the students for three years, as they do in the WALK programme. The WALK programme has been in place for a number of years. The schools in which WALK is working are mostly special schools. They are mostly in Dublin, but there is one in Cavan and one in Mullingar. The programmes will be subject to evaluation and all the outcomes of both programmes will feed into policy development of how best to support young people with complex special educational needs to ensure they make the best transition possible from school.