John Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am passionate about special needs education and the critical role special needs assistants, SNAs, play in the system. I am grateful for the Minister of State's presence. I will outline some of the duties special needs assistants fulfil in our schools, although it is not an exhaustive list. In mainstream schools, they monitor the children in the yard daily to make sure they are included in play with other children. They also assist children with differentiated work in the classroom. It is usually on the same topic as the rest of the children but adjusted to suit the needs and abilities of the child. They help children to take down and correct homework, set up assistive technology equipment such as visualisers, tablets and so on and help them use this equipment if they are unable to do so themselves. They bring children for movement breaks if they appear to be getting overwhelmed, use calming techniques if a child has emotional or behavioural difficulties, and they may remove them to a sensory room or garden if one is available in the school.

SNAs communicate using Lámh sign language when necessary. They help children to develop their life skills, such as shopping, preparing healthy food and practising good hygiene and help them participate in social programmes like Friends for Life. They are there before school and at dispersal at the end of the day, and in some cases where the child might be a flight risk, they take extra precautions with that child. SNAs accompany children with additional educational needs on school tours or any time they are out of school grounds. They also participate in the preparation of religious events with additional needs children if they are required to do so in particular schools. There is also a range of other responsibilities they are given, some of which could be considered inappropriate to their status and role. SNAs in some schools are very willing to assist and in some cases can offer to do these things but there is a lack of definition and delineation of the roles they fulfil.

With regard to care needs, the Minister of State will be aware that SNAs administer Buccolam if a child has an epileptic seizure, check insulin levels on diabetic children, administer glucose if a child has low blood sugar, assist with PEG feeding, help children access their lunch and make sure they eat properly. In some cases, SNAs have had to monitor children who are prone to choking. They accompany special needs children on school tours, as I mentioned.

The education criteria for SNAs is the heart of this matter. The Department of Education states that an SNA only needs three Ds in the junior certificate, which baffles many parents. That is three Ds at FETAC level 3. On educationposts.ie, principals advertising for SNA posts are looking for SNAs with qualifications of FETAC levels 5, 6, 7 or sometimes even 8. Some of the criteria mentioned in these advertisements include the completion of a relevant childcare or SNA course. Applicants are sometimes asked to provide copies of certificates, diplomas and degrees. Sometimes they must have a special needs assistant qualification at QQI or FETAC level 5, or equivalent, and some schools require that applicants must be willing to avail of further training and have knowledge of Lámh and the picture exchange communication system, PECS. The SNA course in UCD that came to the fore in the last year remains unaccredited for qualifications, which is a bizarre situation given that the SNAs are essentially working for the Department.

The programme co-ordinator of the UCD SNA course carried out a survey of approximately 500 SNAs who enrolled in the course. It showed that only 2.1% of those 500 SNAs had stopped their education at junior certificate level. It also showed that 66% of SNAs have already attained a FETAC level 6 qualification. The ask from SNAs is that a FETAC level 6 qualification be a requirement for new entrants only and that SNAs with experience should not be expected to return to study. In general, parents of children with special needs are quite taken aback when they realise the entry qualification levels necessary.

I will take up the second thread of the matter following the Minister of State's response.

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