Clare Daly (Dublin North, United Left)
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515. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the criteria which are being adhered to by the National Council for Special Education special educational needs organisers when allocating special needs assistant support for special educational needs pupils; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36873/14]

Clare Daly (Dublin North, United Left)
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516. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the research processes which were followed by her Department in regard to the drafting of Circular 0030/2014; if relevant parties/groups were involved or consulted in advance of the circular being issued; if the circular has been sufficiently circulated to relevant parties; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36874/14]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 515 and 516 together.

The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs) for allocating a quantum of Special Needs Assistant (SNA) support for each school annually taking into account the assessed care needs of children qualifying for SNA support enrolled in the school. Where children have significant care needs whereby they may need additional support to be able to attend school, the NCSE may make an allocation of SNA support to the school to assist that child.

The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in allocating such support. The criteria by which SNA support is allocated to pupils is set out in my Department's Circular 0030/2014, which issued to schools on 10th April 2014 and is available on my Department's website at www.education.ie.

This Circular clarifies and restates the purpose of the SNA scheme i.e. to provide schools with additional adult support staff who can assist children with special educational needs who also have additional and significant care needs.

The circular is based on recommendations contained in my Departments Value for Money and Policy Review of the SNA scheme and also the National Council for Special Education Policy Advice on Supporting Children with Special Educational Needs in Schools.

Both reports concluded that the SNA scheme has been highly successful in supporting the care needs of children with special needs in schools, and with assisting to facilitate their integration and inclusion. However, the reports also concluded that the intended purpose of the scheme was not always generally well understood by parents or schools and that the scope and purpose of the scheme should be clarified for schools.

In developing both of these policy review papers my Department and the NCSE consulted widely with education partners and stakeholders, including parents of children with special educational needs.

The Circular was developed taking into account the recommendations contained in these policy advice papers and in conjunction with the NCSE, the National Educational Psychological Services and my Department's Inspectorate division.

Following the publication of the circular, officials at my Department held a series of meetings with stakeholders, including parents of children with special needs, to discuss this Circular with them and to clarify any concerns that they may have had.

My Department has also asked the NCSE to prepare an Information Booklet for parents in relation to the SNA scheme which it is hoped will be available shortly.