Joe Carey (Clare, Fine Gael)
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199. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the position regarding an application for 1:1 support under the access inclusion model in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Clare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29263/17]

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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The Access and Inclusion Model (AIM), is a programme of supports to enable children with a disability to access and fully participate in the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme. It was introduced in June 2016 and is administered by Pobal on behalf of my Department. AIM supports children with disabilities to attend mainstream pre-school where they can learn and socialise with their peers. It includes 7 levels of progressive support, moving from the universal to the targeted. The degree of support provided depends on the needs of the child in the context of the pre-school setting they are attending.

A pre-school provider, in partnership with a parent, can apply for AIM Level 7 - additional capitation. Where the AIM Early Years Specialist considers that a Level 7 support is critical to a child's participation in the pre-school setting, they will further consider the degree of Level 7 support required having regard to whether the child has complex or highly complex needs. Where a child is deemed to have complex needs, payment of Level 7 capitation at the lower rate will enable the setting to supplement their staffing by 10 additional staff hours per week. Where a child is deemed to have highly complex needs, payment of Level 7 capitation at the higher rate will enable the setting to supplement their staffing by 15 additional staff hours per week. This can be used to reduce the adult to child ratio in the pre-school room or can be used to buy in additional assistance.

In relation to this particular child, Pobal has advised that an application was received on 23rd May 2017 for support under AIM Level 7 . The Early Years Specialist (EYS) conducted an observation visit on 14th June and met with the pre-school provider and the child's parents. The EYS is currently finalising the relevant information on the application and it will then be sent to the AIM Pobal team for appraisal. The decision will be formally communicated to the pre-school provider and the child's parents as soon as possible.