Carol Nolan (Laois-Offaly, Independent) | Oireachtas source

It is my understanding that a special educational needs organiser, SENO, has now been put in place in County Laois. I welcome that. However, in County Offaly we are still waiting for one. I received a response from the NCSE on this matter a number of weeks ago, which was quite definite in its language. It stated a SENO would be put in place by early July at the latest. I then received a subsequent response, which was not as definite. That concerned me. It stated, more or less, that it was hoped or envisaged there would be a SENO in place by July. It is vital a SENO be put in place in County Offaly as soon as possible. A number of schools have contacted me about this. I have been inundated with calls from parents of special needs children, who are very concerned, and have had meetings with them. I ask that that be done as soon as possible. SENOs play a critical and very important role in planning for children and allocating resources to them as soon as possible. Children are being failed by this delay. I do not understand why there is such a delay. I hope that by the end of July at the latest we will have a SENO in Offaly. I would like an update on that issue if possible to see where things are and to inform my constituents and the schools that have contacted me.

It is very difficult for children with special educational needs in the education system because they cannot access speech and language or occupational therapies at an early point when they begin school. In many cases they are left on long waiting lists. Laois-Offaly has one of the longest waiting lists for speech and language and occupational therapy in the State. Many frustrated parents have come to me about this issue who cannot get a response as to when their child will receive a block of either speech and language therapy or occupational therapy. That adds to the frustration and upset these parents have to go through. It is unnecessary. As many parents have said to me, they have to fight for everything all the time. These parents are worn out fighting. They just need more assistance and more communication. I understand there is a lack of therapists and that recruitment remains an issue but we have to communicate with the parents. We have to let them know how things are going or if there will be more speech and language therapists and occupational therapists, which are needed, in Offaly. I ask that that be given top priority.

As a Deputy for Laois-Offaly I have raised this issue since I was elected in 2016. It is now 2022 and the same issue is being raised. The Minister will have heard about this from other Deputies in the constituency as well. There is an ongoing problem and we need to see some progress in that regard. We need to get to the bottom of why there seems to be a problem recruiting therapists. There also seem to be problems with vacancies on the children's disability network teams. There needs to be an in-depth review into why there are issues and why staff do not want to take up those positions. That is the only way we will be able to move forward and get to grips with the situation, which is having a negative impact on children.

In this State every child is entitled to a high-quality education. That is clearly stated in the Education Act of 1998. The Proclamation of 1916 stated every child should be cherished equally, but the gaps here are gaping so much that each and every child is not being cherished equally. There is so much disadvantage and so many negative impacts on children because of the lack of forward planning, consultation or communication with other agencies and bodies. It has also been pointed out there is a blatant lack of co-ordination. There should be more co-ordination between the services and the schools. The schools might need to become a point of contact, while involving the parents. That is vital.

We have an independent education plan process. I remember drawing up individual education plans as a teacher many years ago. Those plans stressed the importance of collaboration, but there is a breakdown in collaboration because there is no co-ordination between therapists, schools and parents. We need to bring all of that together but it has to happen soon. It cannot just be talked about. It has to become a reality. In the Ireland of 2022, we cannot leave children behind and children, unfortunately, are being left behind. If they happen to have special educational needs or come from a disadvantaged community, they are certainly left behind. That must be addressed if we are serious about inclusion. Fine words are thrown about this Chamber all the time but they are not matched with action. We need to get the basics right. Access to therapies is a basic thing and a basic right. We ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities a number of years ago. Ireland was one of the last countries to do so. Yet services are not being brought up to standard. I appeal for that to be done.

Another outstanding and ongoing issue in my constituency of Laois-Offaly, which is causing much frustration and upset for parents, is the lack of school places. I have dealt with many parents of children who are pleading for action on this issue. I have written to SENOs from other counties who are serving County Offaly while we wait for a SENO to be put in place. There is huge frustration and anxiety around this issue. I have spoken to parents of children in my offices in Birr and Tullamore who tell me their child will have to travel 30 km to 40 km if they cannot get a school place at second level or cannot be facilitated. It is very unfair on a child who has enough to cope with and contend with. Expecting that child to go on a bus and travel 30 km to 40 km every day is so unfair and so wrong. This is definitely happening in other areas of the country as well. It has to stop. We need planning and some urgent action over the summer recess. I hope those children will be accommodated and catered for by the end of August, and before that if at all possible to give people time to plan for the transition. These issues need to be taken on board and dealt with very quickly.

The challenges in respect of appropriate school places are linked to the lack of planning. AsIAm, which does fantastic work in this area, has stated:

Today’s crisis is a long time in the making. The lack of appropriate school placements is due in part to the culmination of a lack of forward planning, forward thinking and coordination by a number of key stakeholders.

On 31 May 2022, it was reported that the Minister of State, Deputy Madigan, indicated these proposals were at an early stage. However, in the same article and in others it was also reported these plans were no longer in train. At a meeting last week, campaign groups outlined their concerns to the Minister of State and Department officials, who told them the proposal is at an early stage and no decision has yet been made on the matter.

Speaking after the meeting, the Minister of State, Deputy Madigan, said the proposal was in its infancy and there had been a lot of misinterpretation or misperception of what it is meant to be. It was reported that the proposal has now been abandoned due to the lack of support from campaigners as well as the concerns of the Government. A sense of urgency is needed with regard to school places and forward planning.

The Ombudsman for Children has also raised concerns about this issue. Dr. Niall Muldoon noted he initiated this report for two reasons. It was initiated in anticipation of the review of section 37A. We hope the report will be released and that appropriate school places will become a reality. When we see all of these organisations and the Ombudsman for Children raising the alarm, it is time to take long overdue action.

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