Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats)
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150. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will intervene in the case of a child (details supplied) in Dublin 13 to ensure that extra supports are provided. [43052/15]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department provides a range of supports for pupils with special educational needs arising such as Emotional Behavioural Disorder (EBD) or Severe Emotional Behavioural Disorder (SEBD). Where children with such needs have consequential care or learning support needs, additional Resource Teaching and/or care support is provided to schools to support their needs in school. For pupils who require more specialised supports, special school and special class placements are also available.

The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs), for allocating resource teaching and Special Needs Assistant (SNA) support, to schools to support children with special educational needs. The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in allocating such support, which is set out in my Department's Circular 0030/2014.

Circular 0030/2014 sets out the policy of allocating SNA support for a newly enrolling Junior Infant who has a clear and obvious need for such support e.g. a child who has a significant additional care need arising from an intellectual, sensory or physical disability. For those children where it is not yet clear whether difficulties will manifest in a classroom environment, the Circular states that, in general, it is expected that all primary school pupils having their first school experience will have been enrolled and will have commenced attending school before any application for SNA support will be made. In relation to possible anticipated behavioural difficulties in particular, it is more appropriate to wait until the child begins school in order to see how they have been able to engage in the classroom.

The Circular explains that provision of SNA support should not be considered as a first response for management of behaviour, and should only be provided where it is clear that behavioural management strategies have not been successful to date and where it is demonstrated how access to such support can assist with ongoing planning and intervention for the child.

Responsibility for the management of behaviour in schools is a matter for individual schools. Schools may seek advice from the National Educational Psychological Service, their Special Educational Needs Organiser, or from the National Behavioural Support Service as to how children with behavioural needs can best be supported in school.

It is open to schools to contact their local SENO to discuss the SNA and resource teaching allocation process. Parents may also contact their local SENO directly to discuss their child's special educational needs, using the contact details available the NCSE website www.ncse.ie.

As this question relates to an application for support for an individual child, I will arrange to have the matter referred to the NCSE for their attention and direct reply to the Deputy.