Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 690: To ask the Minister for Education and Science when an initiative (details supplied) will be rolled out to other parts of the country. [28774/08]

Seán Haughey (Dublin North Central, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

To address special educational needs and provide the necessary supports for learners in Youthreach centres, my Department introduced the Special Education Needs Initiative (SENI) in 2007. The SENI was introduced to 25 groups of 25 learners across 20 Youthreach centres.

The SENI involves a general allocation model similar to that introduced in the primary sector in September 2005. It is team based and caters mainly for students with high incidence needs. The SENI provides for the allocation of increased staffing hours (from 4,200 to 5,700 hours per group per year) to deal with the special needs and disabilities of all the students.

Additional training was provided to staff in the centres to enable the introduction, on a centre team basis, of a range of professional practices to support students with special educational needs/disabilities. This training followed on from the national introductory training programme introduced into all centres in 2006. In addition, the 20 centres have access to a password protected internet site containing guidelines, tailored training programmes and other materials.

During 2007, an evaluation was carried out on the SENI to determine its suitability and effectiveness for the learners. The findings of this evaluation were generally positive and found the new initiative to be meeting the needs of learners. My Department is currently examining the possibility of rolling out the SENI to other Youthreach centres, subject to the availability of funding.