Violet-Anne Wynne (Clare, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I start by thanking the NCSE for assisting me with a very serious and complex case in County Clare. A child was left with no school place, which was a very serious and time-pressured situation, but I am happy to say the child now has a place. The NCSE was a great help in that case.

I have raised previously the need for better forward planning for autism classes in post-primary schools. In County Clare, for example, there are 42 special classes at primary level but only 15 such classes at post-primary level. In west Clare there are three primary school special classes but only one post-primary special class. This is also a serious issue the town of Ennis. I take this opportunity to invite the Minister of State, Deputy Naughton, to visit County Clare and meet a local group called EVA, Ennis Voices for Autism, a parent-run voluntary group for families of autistic children. Any new people who move to the area link in with EVA, which is a fantastic local group. What comes up time and again is not knowing where children will go when they reach post-primary age. The parents lean on each other and are a great support. It would be great for the Minister of State to meet and have an engagement with them and to see some of the fabulous schools we have in the Banner county.

I also highlight the children who are currently in emergency accommodation in the context of the allocation of SNAs. These are children who have gone through the trauma of their families becoming homeless and, in a lot of cases, due to the location of emergency accommodation, they have endured being displaced from everything they have ever known. All familiarity is gone out the window. They are displaced from their support networks, their school community, their friends and their peers. I accept this situation affects all children but I know from my own experience with my son Travis that it affects children with special needs disproportionately. There is so much regression in their coping abilities, emotional regulation and, ultimately, behaviour. These children need to be prioritised by the Government going forward. There has to be a way to work with local authorities in respect of children with additional needs and the difficulties they face in homelessness. We must ensure that if they have to enrol in a different school, they get to retain their SNA allocation. There must be a mechanism in place to ensure they have the vital support they need in school.

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