Mr. Adam Harris:

I think the Deputy has captured very well the experience we hear from families, day in and day out. When it comes to planning and supports in this area, there is a certain sense that it is constantly being reactive as opposed to proactive. We see that in big ways when we are planning year to year as opposed to looking ahead into the future and addressing problems before they arise. We see it at the micro level with individual families. Very often the families involved are at sea and a child's rights nearly have to be breached before they can actually be maintained or upheld.

We see that with school places. As we said in our opening statement, we see that with the very concerning return to soft barriers. Many families have been told in recent days that their child cannot continue in mainstream next year, or that the child is not welcome because the school will not get the hours for complex needs. That may be unlawful, but there are very few people available to help. That is the reality. If a family is unhappy with the allocation their child is receiving in this current model, they will be directed to the school's complaints process. A child in second class might have to wait until fifth class to find out and get the support they need this year. It is an elongated model that is not created to support the child or vindicate their rights, but very often to frustrate them, in which the whole dynamic and power lie with the school.

Fundamentally, we need to get to the stage where we are not talking about charity but about rights. The UNCRPD demands no less. Critically, we need to move to a point where there is proper governance of these processes. Boards of management have oversight of these allocation models within their schools. How many of them have any training or understanding in disability? Very often the experiences of our families can jar or even conflict with the preferences or priorities of the mainstream families. We need to have very clear safeguards and governance to protect the investment that is in place.