Naoise Ó Cearúil (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)

I want to acknowledge the extensive work being done by the Minister of State with responsibility for special education. I have seen first hand his commitment to his brief. He has visited Kildare with me. He has visited the Presentation Girls' School in Maynooth, Maynooth Community College, An Garraí Beag in Donadea and St. Patrick's Primary School in Celbridge. The schools' staff, the parents and I appreciated the Minister of State visiting a few weeks ago.

I also want to acknowledge the extensive work undertaken by the Minister of State in reviewing the EPSEN Act. This is the most comprehensive examination of this Act in nearly two decades. The voice of the child runs deep throughout this review. Some welcome steps are proposed from improved interagency co-operation to strengthening the role of the NCSE and the recognition that children with additional needs should be supported in the setting that best suits them, be that mainstream, special class or a special school.

While the ambition of the report is clear, we must reflect on the reality for families. Many of them feel forgotten or unsupported at key moments in their child's development. I want to bring a few cases to the attention of the Minister of State. I have contacted the Department and the HSE about these. One concerns a 16-year-old boy who attends a special school in Kildare North. His family feels completely unsupported. They have been sent from pillar to post, pushed from one area to another, in order to try to get some provision for their son. Only two weeks ago, Nua Healthcare Services was sent out to do a review on behalf of the HSE on this young boy who is 16 years old. The family were told it would be able to support them. On Friday, it came back and said that it did not have the staff to support the family. This is completely shocking, because it is giving families hope under false pretences. It is completely unfair on this family and their son. Most of all their son needs routine and to be looked after and cared for. The family needs a little bit of respite. They only get minimal respite. At times the child is very difficult to care for, both for himself and for his family. I would appreciate the Minister of State's help in trying to find a solution for this family.

Another issue is related to Maynooth Community College. The SENO recommended a 0.5 increase for an SNA. It turns out that the college will not get this increase. Since 2020, the number of students in the school has increased by 400 but there has not been an increase in the SNA allocation. This is tied to the report on the EPSEN Act in the sense that it is trying to do what is best for each school and, more importantly, for each child going through the education system, particularly the special needs education system.

Another is Scoil Mochua in Celbridge, which was issued with a section 37A notice to open another class and which the school is happy to do. However, it transpired that the school does not have the space. It is looking to acquire a space. Again, in this case, the school has been pushed from agency to agency and from the council to Tailte Éireann to find a resolution for getting the space needed.

In all of these situations what stands out is not a lack of will. The political will is there; the will is there from parents and from schools. However, there is a lack of joined-up delivery. This is a problem we see time and again. I would have liked to have seen this report recommend a single body be given responsibility for the most profound cases. Instead of parents being pushed from SENOs to CDNTs to CAMHS to the HSE to special schools and then to different agencies, those particularly profound cases need a single, co-ordinated approach.

The CDNT claims it is responsible for building it, but there are also SENOs, and parents are trying to deal with all of these different agencies, which is extremely difficult.

Another proposal relates to the summer programme, previously the July provision. It does not fit into the mix for kids going through special education. I appreciate that the summer provision is in place but we should be looking at it differently from the normal education perspective, so that there is a continuation throughout the entire summer. It is not actually provision; it is a continuation of the classroom.

I acknowledge that the EPSEN review gives us a strong platform. The vision is sound but the delivery now needs to match that vision. I know the Minister of State, Deputy Michael Moynihan, is committed to that, and there is a commitment across this House. I will do anything I can to support him. I appreciate the efforts he has taken to support me and my constituents in Kildare North and children and families across the country.

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