Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy O'Sullivan very much. I have no doubt, given he is a Cork TD, that the introduction of therapists to special schools is primarily focused on Cork schools. To be honest with him, a comprehensive submission has been made in recent days by David Walsh and Bernard O'Regan. Officials in the Department have been meeting with the CEO of the HSE to address the introduction of the pilot scheme that would be required for the 14 special schools in the Cork area. One of the concerns was where the governance for the reinstatement would lie. All the therapists who will be returned to special schools in the Cork area will be part of the local CDNTs. First and foremost, parents will have the choice, which is very important, where they access CDNT services. Most children attending a special school are encouraged to choose the CDNT closest to the school so that the CDNT can provide the support, whether it be OT, physio, speech and language or psychology, but also at the same time the CDNT can provide the clinical governance piece and support the teaching staff and the parents. That is a piece parents in the Cork area had not been provided with. They did not have the option of choosing a service close to home or close to a school. That is part of the PDS framework document from its inception in 2009.

There is also a role for the assistant therapist post, which sometimes gets overlooked. When a clinician can write up the programme of works, the roll-out of the programme can also be done by the assistant therapist in the area of OT, physio and speech and language. To be very fair to us in our Department, along with the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, we are working very hard. We have secured the funding for 125 therapists. The programme of works ensures they get the training they require and a placement within the CDNTs.

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