Denis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael)

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for the opportunity to raise this issue. I note that the Minister of State with responsibility for this area is not here. I hope there is a good reason for this and it is not part of the ongoing policy of Ministers to ignore issues raised on the Adjournment.

The Páistí le Chéile project is an inter-agency pilot initiative run through Roscommon County Childcare Committee. It has been funded by the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform since March 2006 and this funding will continue up to June of this year. The objective of Páistí le Chéile is to enhance the level and quality of access for children with special needs to mainstream child care services within the county. The project works collaboratively with parents, pre-school practitioners, the HSE, the Brothers of Charity services and other voluntary organisations within the county. The four main objectives of the project are the provision of support workers to children with special needs and-or disabilities so that they can attend pre-schools; the provision of disability-related training to pre-school workers and parents; the development of protocols for inter-agency working; and the development of an information resource pack on disability and child care services.

This innovative pilot project provides individualised support to 19 children, enabling them to attend and be included in their local pre-schools. Without this service, these children with learning difficulties would have to rely on the current non-existent HSE service and would, in the long term, put significant demand on the HSE paramedical specialties. In County Roscommon, there is a large waiting list and no availability of such specialists. There would also be significant additional demands in terms of the support needed for these children within the mainstream educational system. We are talking about children with a learning difficulty but not those who would fit into the category of intellectual disability. These children are already provided for by the Brothers of Charity and funding is available for them.

This project represents a win-win situation. From a purely financial perspective, it would save significant current spending on such children in our overstretched health and education systems. From a personal perspective, the programme has had a dramatic effect in helping the children involved to meet their developmental milestones. The Páistí le Chéile project has provided training for up to 158 pre-school practitioners in disability awareness, behavioural support, child development and communication, including sign language.

When I raised this issue with the Minister of State with responsibility for children through a parliamentary question on 11 March, he washed his hands of the issue, stating that Roscommon County Childcare Committee had received funding of €295,000 for 2008 and would have to find the money from its existing budget. This is totally unacceptable. As the Minister of State knows, Roscommon County Childcare Committee submitted a case for the Páistí le Chéile project as part of its actions for 2008, with a budget of €51,000 to continue the programme to the end of 2008. The child care committee was asked by the Minister of State to remain within its indicative budget for 2008 so it has no option but to remove the funding sought for the Páistí le Chéile project. However, the yearly budget currently received by the child care committee only covers salaries, with a small amount remaining for specific actions identified in the strategic child care plan. That money would not provide for the continuation of the project. It is well known to the Minister that the funding is not there within the existing budget as that money is already committed.

The cost of continuing this project for a full academic year is approximately €150,000 and inquiries are already being received for September of this year. There is at present a waiting list of 12 children who have applied for support, and more referrals are anticipated. The evaluation currently being submitted to the Minister of State with responsibility for children clearly shows the success of this pilot project. If the child care budget is not the appropriate avenue, the Minister of State has two other possible sources of funding, through either the Department of Health and Children or the Department of Education and Science, within his control and he should use one of those to fund and mainstream this valuable project.

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