Jim Daly (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

730. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if her Department has a policy regarding the attendance of special needs assistants at meetings to prepare individualised education programmes for students with special learning needs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23707/15]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I wish to advise the Deputy that Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) are allocated to schools by the National Council for Special Education in order to provide for the care needs of children with special educational needs attending such schools. The policy of my Department in relation to the SNA scheme is set out in Circular 0030/2014, which also provides details regarding the role and duties of an SNA.

The Circular explains that the role of the SNA includes assistance with the development of Personal Pupil Plans for children with special educational needs, with a particular focus on developing a care plan to meet the care needs of the pupil concerned and the review of such plans.

Once an SNA allocation has been made to a school, the recruitment and deployment of SNAs within schools are matters for the individual Principal/Board of Management of a school. SNAs should be deployed by the school in a manner which best meets the care support requirements of the children enrolled in the school for whom SNA support has been allocated, and in accordance with the terms of the scheme as set out in my Departments Circular.

In circumstances where a parent may have a concern about the manner in which an SNA is being deployed in a school, they should raise this matter with the school Principal/Board of Management of the school in the first instance.