Written answers

Thursday, 5 March 2020

Department of Children and Youth Affairs

Special Educational Needs Service Provision

Photo of Michael Healy-RaeMichael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

1077. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the reason a person (details supplied) has been refused a special needs assistant; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2654/20]

Photo of Michael Healy-RaeMichael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

1078. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the status of a special needs assistant for a child (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2737/20]

Photo of Katherine ZapponeKatherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 1077 and 1078 together.

AIM Level 7 provides additional assistance in the pre-school room where this is critical to ensuring a child’s participation in the free ECCE preschool programme. In line with emerging best practice to support the integration and independence of children with a disability, AIM does not fund Special Needs Assistants (SNAs). Rather, it provides financial support to the pre-school provider, which can be used either to reduce the adult to child ratio in the pre-school room or to buy in additional assistance to the pre-school room. Accordingly, AIM Level 7 assistance is a shared resource for the pre-school setting.

AIM level 7 funding is allocated in response to need, reflecting both the needs of the child and the needs of the specific pre-school setting that the child attends, and is not allocated on the basis of diagnosis. Assessments of a child's needs in the context of the pre-school setting are made by Better Start early years specialists.

In the case to which the Deputy's question refers, a Better Start early years specialist carried out both a telephone review and an observation visit to the setting. It was found that AIM Level 7 funding was not critical to the child's meaningful participation in the pre-school setting. In this case the ratio of staff to children in the room was deemed sufficient to support the child's needs. AIM Level 4 supports, which involve the provision of expert educational advice and mentoring by Better Start to the setting, were recommended to be sufficient in this case.

Comments

No comments

Log in or join to post a public comment.