Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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117. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the reason a special educational needs organiser has not assessed a person (details supplied) at their school; if he will review this matter; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31367/16]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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The National Council for Special Education (NCSE), which is an independent statutory agency, is responsible, through its network of Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs) for allocating special educational needs supports to schools. Responsibility for deciding on the quantum of educational supports and resources to be allocated to schools to support individual students with special educational needs, rests with the NCSE, in accordance with my Department's policy. 

The role of the NCSE includes processing applications from schools for S support taking into account the frequency and extent of the care needs as referenced in the professional report, the manner in which they arise in a school setting and in this regard, the evidence the school can provide to support the application. The NCSE can also consult with other professionals e.g. my Department’s National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) and will allocate a level of S support to a school to ensure that the school has sufficient resources to cater for the significant care needs of the relevant children who are enrolled in the school for whom it has been indicated that there is a care requirement. 

The NCSE allocates S support to schools in accordance with the criteria set out in my Department's Circular 0030/2014, which is available on my Department's website at: www.education.ie, in order that students who have care needs can access S support as and when it is needed. It should be noted, however, that S allocations are not made to individual children, but are made to schools to support the care needs of children with assessed special educational needs in the school.

The professional assessment of children is not within the remit of the SENO, however, the consideration of professional reports is an integral part of determining the extent of supports to be provided for pupils with special educational needs. Whereas professional reports provide valuable assistance to education providers in identifying a diagnosis or identifying appropriate interventions, health staff have been directed by the HSE not to include references to the specific quantum of educational resources in their reports, reports should state the outcome of assessments carried out and the range of needs of the child as clearly as possible. While a medical or relevant professional report can indicate the care needs that a child may have, the Health professional will not have knowledge or awareness of the current resources available to a school to cater for these care needs, will not be aware of the layout of the school, or have had an opportunity to observe the child in class or observe their interaction with their teachers and classmates on an ongoing basis.

The NCSE has informed my Department that the child in question has been granted access to S support since May 2016. Where a school wishes to appeal the S allocation which has been made to them, they may do so through the NCSE appeals process, details of which are set out at www.ncse.ie. The option to invoke the appeals process is open to the school and parents in question. I am informed that the NCSE has no record of an appeal having been received in regard to the level of support allocated to the school.

All schools have the contact details of their local SENO. Parents may also contact their local SENO directly to discuss their child's special educational needs, using the contact details available on the NCSE website, www.ncse.ie.