Mr. Dessie Robinson:

One must agree that the ultimate aim is to ensure a child is not disadvantaged in any way and gets the same opportunities as everyone else. There is no doubt in my mind about that objective.

I agree that there are different levels of attainment. As far as my organisation is concerned, the bar was set a bit low when it came to the qualifications required to be an SNA, which are three subjects in the junior certificate or level 3. It may be part of the reason for a lack of respect for the work done by SNAs. Some people may wonder what qualifications does an SNA need other than being nice to a child. A child needs much more. A child places a great deal of trust in his or her SNA after a while, particularly if the SNA holds a certain level of qualifications. There is nothing more joyful than when an SNA learns that the child that he or she assisted in their early years has gone to Trinity College or somewhere else.

With regard to different levels, I favour them and Ms Lynch hit the nail on the head when she expressed her views on the matter. Obviously there are different levels of requirement and levels of SNAs or a combination of both. As I said earlier, some schools have a requirement for categorisation while others require behavioural needs to be met. They are at different levels so there is nothing wrong with us examining whether we can change the level. Therefore, we must provide the time, resources and necessary training in order to ensure the child gets the care that he or she deserves to allow him or her to continue in life, as we all expect to be cared for.