Donna McGettigan (Clare, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I have been contacted by several parents who are left in a void, having to fight for places in schools for their children with complex needs. Dawn Bennett, one such parent, relocated her family from Limerick to Kilrush in County Clare to find a suitable place in a primary school for her son, Jamie, who has complex needs. Ms Bennett faces the same fight to try to find a place for Jamie in a secondary school. The nearest school that would have a place to suit Jamie is in Ennis, almost 43 km away.

Fiona Gaffney in Shannon had the same issue with her daughter and could only find a place in Limerick, just over 25 km away. Her daughter with complex needs not only had to navigate a new school with new people and teachers but also had to leave her friends.

This has caused a lot of stress and anxiety for Fiona, her daughter and family. Catherine in west Clare said that the lack of services and resources is so worrying. There is all this talk of human rights and advocacy but they cannot even get the basic rights like education for all and safety. This parent is also in a fight to get a place for her son in a secondary school. Catherine’s son has Down's syndrome and complex needs and this is simply not fair. Róisín, who has been diagnosed with autism and does not have a place in her school in the autism unit, has been made to feel, and has been told, that she is not autistic enough. Róisín has an allocated short amount of time with a teacher. Róisín will become an official adult in November meaning that the children's disability network team will discharge her. That means Róisín will be left with a gap in services as she faces into her final year and leaving certificate with no service to help her through. This fragmented type of service is causing anxiety all over. In the words of Dawn in west Clare:

It is only when you are in the system of having a child with disability is that you quickly learn that you are their voice and that everything is a fight. It shouldn't be that way for these children.

The Government needs to stop being reactive in this case and start being proactive to help these families and to end this constant battle to find suitable places in school for their children. I hope that in 2025 we see suitable places within a reasonable distance from children’s homes. We must also ensure that schools have adequate funding to build or repurpose existing accommodation to meet their needs.

See this speech in context