Dáil debates

Wednesday, 26 January 2022

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate

Special Educational Needs

9:42 am

Photo of John LahartJohn Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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I am passionate about special needs education and the critical role special needs assistants, SNAs, play in the system. I am grateful for the Minister of State's presence. I will outline some of the duties special needs assistants fulfil in our schools, although it is not an exhaustive list. In mainstream schools, they monitor the children in the yard daily to make sure they are included in play with other children. They also assist children with differentiated work in the classroom. It is usually on the same topic as the rest of the children but adjusted to suit the needs and abilities of the child. They help children to take down and correct homework, set up assistive technology equipment such as visualisers, tablets and so on and help them use this equipment if they are unable to do so themselves. They bring children for movement breaks if they appear to be getting overwhelmed, use calming techniques if a child has emotional or behavioural difficulties, and they may remove them to a sensory room or garden if one is available in the school.

SNAs communicate using Lámh sign language when necessary. They help children to develop their life skills, such as shopping, preparing healthy food and practising good hygiene and help them participate in social programmes like Friends for Life. They are there before school and at dispersal at the end of the day, and in some cases where the child might be a flight risk, they take extra precautions with that child. SNAs accompany children with additional educational needs on school tours or any time they are out of school grounds. They also participate in the preparation of religious events with additional needs children if they are required to do so in particular schools. There is also a range of other responsibilities they are given, some of which could be considered inappropriate to their status and role. SNAs in some schools are very willing to assist and in some cases can offer to do these things but there is a lack of definition and delineation of the roles they fulfil.

With regard to care needs, the Minister of State will be aware that SNAs administer Buccolam if a child has an epileptic seizure, check insulin levels on diabetic children, administer glucose if a child has low blood sugar, assist with PEG feeding, help children access their lunch and make sure they eat properly. In some cases, SNAs have had to monitor children who are prone to choking. They accompany special needs children on school tours, as I mentioned.

The education criteria for SNAs is the heart of this matter. The Department of Education states that an SNA only needs three Ds in the junior certificate, which baffles many parents. That is three Ds at FETAC level 3. On educationposts.ie, principals advertising for SNA posts are looking for SNAs with qualifications of FETAC levels 5, 6, 7 or sometimes even 8. Some of the criteria mentioned in these advertisements include the completion of a relevant childcare or SNA course. Applicants are sometimes asked to provide copies of certificates, diplomas and degrees. Sometimes they must have a special needs assistant qualification at QQI or FETAC level 5, or equivalent, and some schools require that applicants must be willing to avail of further training and have knowledge of Lámh and the picture exchange communication system, PECS. The SNA course in UCD that came to the fore in the last year remains unaccredited for qualifications, which is a bizarre situation given that the SNAs are essentially working for the Department.

The programme co-ordinator of the UCD SNA course carried out a survey of approximately 500 SNAs who enrolled in the course. It showed that only 2.1% of those 500 SNAs had stopped their education at junior certificate level. It also showed that 66% of SNAs have already attained a FETAC level 6 qualification. The ask from SNAs is that a FETAC level 6 qualification be a requirement for new entrants only and that SNAs with experience should not be expected to return to study. In general, parents of children with special needs are quite taken aback when they realise the entry qualification levels necessary.

I will take up the second thread of the matter following the Minister of State's response.

9:52 am

Photo of Josepha MadiganJosepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy for raising this Topical Issue matter today, which is relevant at the moment, particularly for my own Ministry for special education.

The role of the SNA is critical. The Deputy has very eloquently set out the non-exhaustive list of duties they undertake daily. In my visits to different schools throughout the country, I have met many SNAs. I have spoken to them first-hand about the work they do. I know from the families I meet daily - the Deputy also made this point - that the majority of children with additional needs would not be able to exist in a school environment to any proper capacity without an SNA there to support them. The SNAs facilitate the support of children with additional needs and they minimise disruption in the class for a child and his or her peers in regard to reaching. They also help to increase the independent living and life skills we want all children with additional needs to endeavour to attain.

The Deputy will be aware that €2.2 billion, which is almost 25% of the entire education budget, is dedicated to special education. In 2011, we had approximately 10,575 SNAs. We now have 19,169 SNAs, which is an 81% increase. There has been a considerable amount of investment made to ensure we have sufficient SNAs for our children with additional needs. The Deputy correctly pointed out it is not just about having SNAs in place. It is also about their qualifications and, in particular, their training. When I took up my role as the first Minister of State with responsibility for special education, I looked at the review carried out by the National Council for Special Education in 2018. It was very strong on the need for training. It was on that basis we set up the very first training course for SNAs which, as mentioned by the Deputy, is in UCD. The course has been completely oversubscribed. It is gratisin the sense there is no cost to the SNA to do the training. It is very valuable for them. There are very good modules within that course.

If we are going to be looking at accreditation, we need to look first at the outcomes of that course and to identify what worked and what did not. We also need to speak to the SNAs. I note the contents of the survey mentioned by the Deputy. It is useful for us to be aware of that. On the qualification, as correctly pointed out by the Deputy, it is FETAC level 3 on the national framework of qualifications or a minimum of three Ds in the junior certificate. It is important to stress the existing qualification has not taken away from the calibre of SNA we have now. A number of them will have an additional qualifications on top of what is required of them. The SNA deployment is carried out by the schools. There is no longer a requirement for a diagnosis, especially in a mainstream class, to avail of the skills of an SNA. That was a very important step, particularly when we are talking about children in mainstream classes. The SNA is, perhaps, even more critical in a special class or special school.

Photo of John LahartJohn Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister of State for the response. It is 43 years since the minimum standard of education was set for the SNA. In that time, as we know, SNAs have retrained and engaged in continuing professional development. It is time for the conversation around special needs assistants to be reset. My own party has a very proud record in this area, having introduced the SNA. The initial budget was €9 million. It is now into the billions.

I refer to the very interesting paper by the European Journal of Special Needs Education, published in 2020, which looked at learning and support assistants, LSAs, in inclusive education across six countries, including the UK, Austria, Ireland, Bulgaria and Slovakia. What is very interesting is that it is only in Slovakia that SNAs have to have completed the upper secondary level or possess a bachelor's degree in pedagogy, making Slovakia unique in this regard. In addition to a lack of qualification requirements in most countries, there are also limited opportunities for professional development. That is critical. It is key. This is a career. Ireland has a real opportunity to lead a European standard and to raise the standard.

In Slovakia, SNAs are part of the advisory board of the school, which is interesting. That is not exclusive to Slovakia. I do not see any role here for SNAs on the boards of management or in the overall administration of our schools. We are all aware of the range of responsibilities they are given, some of which I excluded in my initial remarks and are entirely inappropriate. I will not list them. The SNAs will have spoken to the Minister of State about them. In the international experience as well as in Ireland, in some schools SNAs collaborate extensively with the school, teachers, management and the board of management, while in other schools they are excluded from a lot of say or participation. We now have an opportunity to reset the narrative in regard to SNAs, to enable them to progress and develop in their careers, and to acknowledge that many of them are far more qualified than the three Ds that qualify them for the SNA course. Will the Minister of State provide a timeline for when the reset of this conversation might take place and engagement with SNAs will begin?

Photo of Josepha MadiganJosepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy. Again, it is important to stress that, through the education partners and the mechanism of the Department, there is ongoing engagement with SNA representatives. I know Fórsa has put in a claim to the Workplace Relations Commission. Any review of the SNA contract will happen through the Building Momentum national pay agreement, which would the be appropriate channel.

I again thank the Deputy for bringing forth this Topical Issue matter today. The role of the SNA is pivotal. I acknowledge that. As I said, I meet SNAs regularly. I know the very good work they do. However, it is important not to put the cart before the horse. I want first to see the outcomes of the training programme in UCD and to review them because they will dictate in terms of future training and accreditation and in terms of any other steps we need to take to enhance the role of the SNA. The training and support of SNAs will, in turn, support children with additional needs, which ultimately is what this conversation is about. Being an SNA is a vocation. It is not an easy job. Most of them go above and beyond their remit and they are very much appreciated by their respective schools and boards of management. They should always be listened to in the context of what works for them and does not work for them.

I am satisfied we have in place a training programme that is tailored to their respective roles. Once we know those outcomes, we will be in a better position to consider what will transpire for the future in terms of a roadmap in regard to further training.