Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Dublin North Central, Labour) | Oireachtas source

This evening's debate provides an opportunity for me to state clearly that the Government is committed to ensuring equality of access to educational and other opportunities for persons with disabilities and special educational needs.

As Minister of State with special responsibility for new communities, culture and equality, I am particularly pleased to speak to this motion on what is a cross-departmental issue affecting a number of Departments, including mine and those responsible for health, education, children and youth affairs. While I have no direct role in issues relating to educational provision and the organisation of the education system, I do have an oversight role in respect of the national disability strategy, which is a whole-of-government approach to advancing the social inclusion of all people with disabilities. The Government remains fully committed to the full implementation of this strategy, which brings together the community and voluntary sectors to work with statutory agencies and Departments to improve the lives of people with disabilities. In the area of education, the Government has demonstrated that commitment with action.

It is important to note that some €1.3 billion will be spent in support of children with special educational needs this year, which is an increase in expenditure of 43% over the 2008 figure of €904 million. If I recall correctly, the figure for 2004 was some €450 million. Therefore, there has been quite an increase since then.

The provision being made for special educational needs this year is in line with expenditure in recent years and shows that despite the current economic difficulties, funding for special education has not been cut. The current level of investment represents approximately 15% of the education budget of €8.3 billion of the Department of Education and Skills.

The Government has been resolutely committed to protecting the level of investment being made to support children with special educational needs at a time when there has been a requirement to make expenditure reductions across a range of areas. It is an area of expenditure which has been prioritised above most other areas by the Government, despite the enormous pressures on all areas of public expenditure.

The level of resources devoted to supporting children with special educational needs has been protected, and in some areas in 2014 it has been increased to take into account increased demand and demographic growth.

This evening's debate also provides me with an opportunity to reassure all parents of children with disabilities and special educational needs that their children will continue to receive the supports necessary to ensure they can access education appropriate to their needs and abilities. The Department of Education and Skills provides for a continuum of support to ensure that all children with special needs can access education, whether in a mainstream class with additional supports, in a special class attached to a mainstream school, or, for a child who may require specialist interventions, as a special school placement.

On the issue of special needs assistants or SNAs, in December 2013 the Government announced that it was increasing the number of SNAs available for allocation to schools to reflect both demographic growth and increased demand for SNA support. The provision has been increased by 390 posts. At the end of the 2013-14 school year 10,656 SNA posts had been allocated to schools, which is a greater number of posts than at any previous time. For example, at the end of the 2011-12 school year there were 10,487 SNAs, while at the end of the 2010-11 school year there were 10,320 SNAs. So far in this school year, 10,900 SNAs have been allocated to schools. Again, this is the highest level of SNA allocation that we have ever had. These extra posts confirm the Government's policy of ensuring that every child who needs SNA support will receive access to such support. I am aware that references are sometimes made to cuts to SNAs both in this House and in the media. I am therefore grateful for this opportunity to put on the record of this House that not only has there not been a reduction in the number of SNA posts provided to schools, but this Government has substantially increased the number of SNA posts available. Some schools may have received a reduced SNA allocation because a pupil with special needs has left the school or because pupils have declining care needs as they grow older. This should not be represented as a cut. Additionally, where such posts are freed up they are then allocated to other schools that have enrolled new pupils with special educational care needs. Parents who may have been frightened by reports of cuts need have no fears that their children will be denied access to an SNA. The cap of 10,575 posts which was introduced by the previous Government in 2010 has been increased to 10,965 SNA posts by this Government.

The Department of Education and Skills recently issued a new circular to schools about the SNA scheme in order to provide clarity on the role of SNAs in schools in accordance with the recommendation contained in recently received National Council for Special Education policy advice and the recommendations contained in the Department's value for money and policy review of the SNA scheme. The NCSE is also developing an information booklet for parents on the SNA scheme, which is expected to be completed and published shortly and which will provide clear guidance and information for parents on the role and purpose of the scheme. As a Deputy in the House I have been involved in compiling a report on the future role of the SNA in Irish education. Senator Mary Moran has kindly agreed to continue that research and to present it to the Joint Committee on Education and Social Protection in due course.

The Government has also increased the overall number of resource teaching posts available to schools in recent years. Some 480 additional resource teaching posts were provided for the 2012-13 school year and an additional 480 posts have been made available for 2014-15 in order to meet growing demand from schools for low-incidence special educational needs support. This brings the number of resource and learning support teachers in mainstream schools to more than 11,000 at the moment, which is more than at any time previously. This can be compared with 10,305 posts for the 2012-13 school year and 9,950 posts for the 2011-12 year. No reduction was made to the amount of resource teaching time allocated to schools per pupil in the 2013-14 school year, and no reduction is being made for the 2014-15 school year. There are now more additional resource and learning support teachers in our schools than at any time previously.

The general allocation model, which allocates more than 4,200 learning support and resource teachers to all primary schools, is now to be updated annually based on the number of mainstream teaching posts in schools in the previous year, and will therefore reflect growth in school size. As the number of pupils being assessed as having low-incidence or more severe levels of disability has also been rising, this frees up some resources from schools' general allocations to provide to other children who have learning support needs in schools.

In addition to SNA and teaching resources which are provided to schools to support children with special needs, a range of other supports are made available to schools to facilitate access to education for pupils with disabilities. These include modified school buildings, enhanced capitation payments for special schools and special classes, a home tuition scheme, specialist transport arrangements and assistive technology support. In addition, more than 1,100 teaching posts in special schools will continue to be provided for in the coming school year. The National Council for Special Education also opened 132 new special classes for September of this year, which means that there are now more than 860 special classes.

On the issue of policy advice, Members of this House will be aware that the NCSE recently provided the Department of Education and Skills with a comprehensive report on supporting students with special educational needs in schools. In its report the NCSE acknowledged the State's significant investment in providing supports for students with special educational needs over recent decades, which has transformed the ability of schools to educate such pupils. This report makes clear that there are many aspects of the current system that parents and schools are happy with. However, the report also makes it clear that there are disadvantages to the current system, which can create an inequitable distribution of resource teaching hours whereby each school receives the same general allocation based on school size, regardless of the needs of the school's pupil population. This is an important point. It also recommended that supports be allocated to schools to support pupils on the basis of their needs and without the necessity for a diagnosis of a particular disability in order to gain access to an educational resource.

A substantial component of the current model is based on the availability of a diagnosis of special educational need, but, as has been noted by some Members of this House, access to professionals who can make this diagnosis is not always readily available to all students. Some families can afford to pay for private assessments and, where eligible, these students can immediately access additional teaching resources. The allocation of additional State educational resources should not depend on a parent's ability to pay for professional assessments or proximity to HSE supports.

Following on from the publication of the NCSE report, the Minister for Education and Skills asked the NCSE to develop proposals for a new allocation model, and in June of this year the NCSE published its report, A Proposed New Model for Allocating Teaching Resources for Students with Special Educational Needs. This report recommends that the Department and the NCSE develop a new way to allocate additional teaching resources to schools, taking into account the educational profile of each school and without the need for students to get assessments in order to receive resources.

The NCSE has also advised that under the present system there is a risk that children are being diagnosed as having a special educational need for resource allocation purposes rather than for health reasons. The report also notes that there is a spectrum of ability and disability within every category of special educational need. The current system allocates the same level of support for students within certain categories of special educational needs even though one student may have a greater need for support than another with the same disability. A diagnosis of a disability in itself does not necessarily inform the level of need for additional teaching support. A significant portion of additional learning support resources is also allocated to schools on the basis of enrolment, in post-primary schools, or the number of class teachers, in primary schools, and is not linked to the level of need for such support in schools.

The report recommended that schools be given an allocation to provide pupils with such resources based on their individual needs, taking into account the overall profiled need of each school. The report recommended that sufficient time be allowed to develop the new allocation model and for further consultation to take place with the education stakeholders before any proposed new model is implemented in schools. This process is necessary to build confidence that the new system will be equitable, transparent and efficient in delivering resources to students with special educational needs.

The Department of Education and Skills is currently collecting school-based data which could support the development of a proposed new allocation model. It has also invited education partners and stakeholders to make written submissions in relation to the NCSE proposals for a new allocation model, following which consultations will take place with the partners. The Department of Education and Skills will continue to provide the resources that can ensure that all children with special educational needs avail of education. At the same time, it will also plan to ensure that existing levels of service provision can be maintained. Finally, the Department of Education and Skills will consider how to make improvements to the system and how to make accessing the system easier for parents and children who require supports in schools.

On preschool provision, the Government remains committed to supporting the participation of children with additional needs in preschool services. A number of Departments and their agencies are contributing to this area, including the Department of Children and Youth Affairs, the Department of Health, the Department of Education and Skills, and the HSE.

A clear indication of the Government's determination to further strengthen provision in this area is the inclusion of a specific commitment in Better Outcomes: Brighter Futures, the new integrated policy framework for children and young people to develop a plan for the inclusion of children with a disability in mainstream preschool and early years settings. An interdepartmental team of senior officials is finalising a report on how best to make progress in this area. The team, consisting of representatives from the Departments of Children and Youth Affairs, Health and Education and Skills, as well as the HSE, is due to report shortly on this issue to the cross-sectoral team on children's disability issues. The report will inform the development of policy into the future and ensure we will have a co-ordinated and consistent approach across government to supporting the participation of children with additional needs in early years settings. Progress is also being made in ensuring early years practitioners have the appropriate knowledge, skills and disposition to support children with additional needs within preschool settings. This has been facilitated through such measures as the learner fund which is being supported by the Department of Children and Youth Affairs to support early years practitioners in meeting new minimum qualification requirements for the free preschool year.

Other initiatives include the development of programmes such as the special purpose award to include children with additional needs which is offered by Mary Immaculate College in Limerick. The Department of Education and Skills recently received funding through the dormant accounts fund to support the further expansion of education and training opportunities in special needs education for early years practitioners. The Department has also initiated a review of education and training programmes leading to qualifications in early years care and education. A major focus of the review will be the extent to which graduates of such programmes have been adequately prepared to work in early years settings and to meet the many challenges that arise in such settings, including catering for children with additional needs.

On psychological services, I can advise the House that all primary and post-primary schools have access to psychological assessments, either directly through the Department's National Educational Psychological Service, NEPS, or, in cases where a NEPS psychologist is not available, through a panel of private practitioners maintained under the scheme for commissioning psychological assessments, SCPA, which is administered by the NEPS. In common with many other psychological services and best international practice, the NEPS has adopted a consultative model of service. The focus is on empowering teachers to intervene effectively with pupils whose needs range from mild to severe and transient to enduring. Psychologists use a problem solving and solution-focused consultative approach to maximise positive outcomes for these pupils. The NEPS encourages schools to use a continuum based assessment and intervention process whereby each school takes responsibility for initial assessment, educational planning and remedial intervention for pupils with learning, emotional or behavioural difficulties. In a period of severe financial strictures the numbers of educational psychologists employed with the NEPS service has grown. For example, the number of whole-time equivalent posts increased from 158 at the beginning of 2011 to the current level of 169. It is envisaged that the number of educational psychologists will be further increased to 173 in the current academic year.

The Government is committed, within available resources, to the provision and development of health-related therapy services for children with special needs. Health-related therapy supports such as speech and language and occupational therapies are accessed through the Health Service Executive's primary care services and its disability services. The HSE has introduced a number of initiatives to ensure these therapy services are delivered in as equitable a manner as possible and on the basis of prioritised need. The measures include therapists increasing clinic-based work instead of domiciliary work and, where possible, providing family centred interventions in a group, as opposed to a one-to-one, setting. In addition, structures, training and supports are being provided for parents and carers in order that they can work to help to improve the child's speech and language skills.

The HSE's national service plan 2013 provided for additional funding of €20 million to strengthen primary care services. It comprises more than €18.5 million for recruitment to fill over 260 primary care team posts and more than €1.4 million to support community intervention team development. The posts include 52 whole-time equivalent speech and language therapists, 51 of which have been filled. Recruitment to fill the remaining post is under way.

With regard to disability services for children, the HSE has recognised the need to standardise the way in which these services are delivered. Therapy services for children are being reconfigured into geographically-based multidisciplinary teams as part of the HSE's progressing disability services for children and young people 0-18 years programme. The objective of the programme is to achieve a national, unified approach to delivering disability health services in order that there is a clear pathway to services for all children, regardless of where they live, what school they attend or the nature of their disability. There is a national structure to underpin this change management programme, with national, regional and local implementation groups in place. All elements of the implementation structure include multi-stakeholder involvement, including representatives from the Department of Education and Skills and its relevant service strands, including the National Educational Psychology Service and the National Council for Special Education. An additional €4 million has been specifically allocated in 2014 to drive implementation of the programme. This equates to approximately 80 therapy posts. As the programme is rolled out, it will ensure the resources available are used to best effect in order to provide health supports and ongoing therapy for children in line with their prioritised needs. In particular, over time, it will mean that all children, regardless of where they receive their education services, will have equitable access to services based on their needs.

On adult education provision, it should be noted that educational provision continues to be made for adults with disabilities or special educational needs after they leave school. Adults with disabilities have a range of options available to them in the higher and further education sectors. Some students choose to participate in educational programmes through further adult educational programmes or in adult settings. While the Health Service Executive assumes direct responsibility for young adults with special educational needs over 18 years, the Department of Education and Skills often allocates funding towards an educational component of such provision. This is generally transacted through the tuition hours scheme provided by education and training boards for local service providers, while funding is also provided for the national learning network for this purpose. Young adults with disabilities are eligible to access SOLAS funded mainstream services provided by the education and training boards. The ETB contract with 16 specialist training providers at 49 locations countrywide is to deliver training courses to people with disabilities who require more intensive support than would be available through non-specialist training provision. A range of specialist courses are available at two levels of training, introductory skills training and specific skills training, and include in-centre, employer-based and blended learning approaches to accommodate learners' training needs. These training courses lead to awards at levels 3 to 5 in the national framework of qualifications. Entry to specialist training is open to all persons with disabilities over 16 years of age.

Programme duration may typically be up to 18 or 24 months, depending on programme type. Specialist training offers additional supports to learners which include individualised training and progression plans, literacy and numeracy support, longer training duration, adapted equipment, transport arrangements, enhanced programme content and an enhanced trainer-learner ratio. For students attending further and higher education institutions, funding to further and higher education institutions for the provision of services and supports for full-time students with disabilities is provided through the fund for students with disabilities, FSD. The Disability Access Route to Education, DARE, is a college and university admissions scheme which offers places at reduced points to school-leavers with disabilities. Eighteen higher education institutions are participating in the scheme. Core funding for access programmes is allocated each year as part of the overall budget of each designated higher education institution.

This funding supports the provision of dedicated staff, services and supports for students with disabilities as well as for mature students and school leavers from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds.

Every further and higher education institution has at least one member of staff with responsibility for liaising with students with disabilities, as required by the Disability Act 2005. In addition, many institutions have a dedicated disability support service with trained disability officers, learning support officers and other specialist staff. The national plan for equity of access to higher education, 2014-2016 Action Plan - Towards the Next National Access Plan, is currently being finalised by the national access office for the Department. The new plan will include actions and targets that ensure there is continued support for people with disabilities in accessing and participating in higher education.

I wish to advise that the overall level of investment being provided annually will ensure that provision can continue to be made for the educational requirements of children and young adults with special educational needs. The combination of investment and supports provided will ensure that children with special educational needs can continue to be wholly included within our education system.

The Government wishes to ensure that existing supports for children with special educational needs are maintained while also considering how we can improve our current support systems.

While I am not in a position to anticipate any future budgetary decisions or considerations, I can, however, assure the House that the Government will continue to do everything possible to protect the provision of services for children and adults with disabilities or special educational needs and, where possible, to bring about improvements to services.