Results 4,521-4,540 of 7,283 for speaker:Josepha Madigan

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Alignment of Special Education Policy with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: Discussion (23 Feb 2021)

Josepha Madigan: I have met with the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, to discuss waiting times and lengthy car journeys for assessments. The school inclusion model was a pilot project we did with 150 participating schools, 75 preschools and 75 primary and post-primary schools in those areas that I mentioned, Wicklow, Kildare and south-west Dublin. That was only one community health organisation area. In...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Alignment of Special Education Policy with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: Discussion (23 Feb 2021)

Josepha Madigan: The child will get the service in his or her school and will not be travelling for it. It is not a HSE service. It is separate. It will be within the child's school environment. It would depend only on how long it takes for the child to travel to the school. Geography will make a difference. In some pockets, such as south Dublin and Cork, there is a greater lack of places and assistance...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Alignment of Special Education Policy with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: Discussion (23 Feb 2021)

Josepha Madigan: I appreciate the Deputy's comments and I hear his frustration, which I share. I know this has been an extremely difficult time for families and children. Contingency planning is important. It is wrong to say there has not been any contingency planning as there has been. There is weekly engagement with all of our education partners and updated guidance on remote learning. Remote learning...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Alignment of Special Education Policy with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: Discussion (23 Feb 2021)

Josepha Madigan: I thank the Deputy for her comments. However difficult this has been for all of us, as public representatives, for the families of children with special needs it has been immeasurably more difficult and challenging for them. That is what motivates all of us, even everybody on this committee, so that we can be a voice for them. I referred earlier to timelines and deadlines. What I can...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Alignment of Special Education Policy with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: Discussion (23 Feb 2021)

Josepha Madigan: I will do my best to answer the many questions asked and the Deputy might please let me know if I do not. Down's syndrome children were included last year and they will be included this year. Arising from the comment about Deputy Andrews, I recently met representatives of Autism Equality Dublin Bay on the lack of special class places in Dublin 2 and 4. There is a process outside of the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Alignment of Special Education Policy with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: Discussion (23 Feb 2021)

Josepha Madigan: I thank Senator McGreehan for her questions. Of course, another advocacy group could be formed. Parents form them all the time. There are many different parental representative bodies and groups already. I do not see any reason another cannot be set up by the parents at any time. It would not be something for the Department to do as such but I understand what the Senator is talking about...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Alignment of Special Education Policy with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: Discussion (23 Feb 2021)

Josepha Madigan: On the State examinations, there are accommodations in place for the children to whom the Deputy referred. They are called special arrangements or reasonable accommodations. There are, therefore, supports in place for children with special needs who are doing the leaving certificate this year. The junior certificate does not apply this year. I am not sure if the Deputy mentioned the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Alignment of Special Education Policy with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: Discussion (23 Feb 2021)

Josepha Madigan: I took a note of the Senator's comments. On the on-off approach, as the Senator described it, I cannot give any guarantees about anything because the Department takes its advice from the public health authorities. I cannot give confirmative information about dates either. I said earlier that the Cabinet is meeting today and there is an indication that special schools will go back to 100%...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Alignment of Special Education Policy with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: Discussion (23 Feb 2021)

Josepha Madigan: I thank the Deputy for his comments and questions. We will consider putting together a report but at the moment we are dealing primarily with getting all our children with SEN back to school. That is the priority right now but it may well merit some sort of report. I do not believe in having reports just for the sake of them but if we felt it would achieve something and we could learn from...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Alignment of Special Education Policy with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: Discussion (23 Feb 2021)

Josepha Madigan: I am not sure if there is time but if it is of any assistance, Ms Mannion might speak briefly about regression in general because a number of members have raised it. She might add something to what I have already mentioned, subject to the Chairman's approval.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Alignment of Special Education Policy with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: Discussion (23 Feb 2021)

Josepha Madigan: I thank the Senator. On children with high risk, in primary school there are designated teachers who will ensure continuity in learning in relation to the schools. It is sort of home tuition to a certain extent. Post-primary pupils are matched with appropriate subject teachers who will teach either in person at home or using technology, or maybe a combination of blended learning. The...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Alignment of Special Education Policy with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: Discussion (23 Feb 2021)

Josepha Madigan: If a staff member or an SNA is high risk, they can avail of the enhanced occupational healthcare service via the HSE. If they have concerns about their health risk in the workplace, it is an anonymous consultation, their health conditions are assessed and they are advised whether it is safe to return to work or not. They can ask for more information or even have the assessment reviewed....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Alignment of Special Education Policy with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: Discussion (23 Feb 2021)

Josepha Madigan: The public health advice is for a cautious, phased approach for the return to school at the moment. Schools, of themselves, are safe environments and that has been consistently said by Dr. Ronan Glynn and others. International evidence shows that child-to-child and child-to-adult transmission of Covid-19 in schools is very uncommon.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Alignment of Special Education Policy with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: Discussion (23 Feb 2021)

Josepha Madigan: I thank the Chairman. He absolutely may follow up with me if he wishes. Flexibility is important but there is obviously a policy that needs to be followed closely. The specific transport issues the Chairman mentioned are under the remit of the Minister for Education, Deputy Foley, but I can find out the information for the Chairman and come back to him. On the transition from primary to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Alignment of Special Education Policy with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: Discussion (23 Feb 2021)

Josepha Madigan: I thank the Deputy for her question. It is a matter we can consider in the coming weeks. It is a new scheme. It is voluntary for families and staff. It is open to all students in special schools and classes for those with the greatest need. The tuition is for five hours per week over four weeks, amounting to 20 hours. We certainly can consider that proposal. The Chairman was talking...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Staff (24 Feb 2021)

Josepha Madigan: The Comprehensive Review of the Special Needs Assistant Scheme (SNAs) was published by the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) in 2018. The Review made a number of recommendations regarding SNAs including the need for training. A new national training programme for SNAs currently employed in recognised schools was developed on foot of the Review's recommendations. Following a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Legal Costs (24 Feb 2021)

Josepha Madigan: It should be noted by the Deputy that my Department does not initiate such proceedings and cases are generally only litigated where no potential settlement is acceptable to both sides and the Government's authority to decide issues of education policy is in question. My Department does not take lightly any decision to defend cases concerning children with special educational needs. Therefore,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (24 Feb 2021)

Josepha Madigan: It is the responsibility of the managerial authorities of all schools to implement an enrolment policy in accordance with the Education Act, 1998 and the Education (Admission to Schools) Act 2018. Under the provisions of the Education (Admission to Schools) Act 2018, all schools are required to have drafted new admissions policies, which have been approved by the patron, following...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Staff (24 Feb 2021)

Josepha Madigan: The Comprehensive Review of the Special Needs Assistant Scheme (SNAs) was published by the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) in 2018. The Review made a number of recommendations regarding SNAs. While SNAs are very much valued in the provision of care support, the Review recommended that a more broadly based set of supports was required including therapeutic supports. The...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (24 Feb 2021)

Josepha Madigan: I wish to advise the Deputy that a number of sections of the Education for Persons with Special Needs (EPSEN) Act 2004 have been commenced. The commenced provisions include those establishing the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) and those providing for an inclusive approach to the education of children with special educational needs. The following sections of the EPSEN Act were...