Michael Lowry (Tipperary, Independent)
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126. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if her attention has been drawn to the fact there are no special educational needs organisers covering south County Tipperary which is greatly restricting the development, delivery and co-ordination of education services to children with special educational needs, including the establishment of special class and special school placements in south County Tipperary; when the National Council for Special Education will have a dedicated special educational needs organiser for the area; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13157/22]

Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible for fulfilling the functions of the NCSE Council, through its network of Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs), Advisors and Visiting Teachers. The identification, delivery and coordination of education services to students, schools and families, are organised and managed through ten teams across five regions.

SENOs are selected on the basis of their knowledge and experience in providing services to children with disabilities, and also their backgrounds, which include; teaching, nursing, psychology and management. Each SENO has responsibility for specific schools, primary, post primary and special, within their area, however, the SENOs operate within a mutually supportive network, sharing their expertise, experience and knowledge, with each other, for the benefit of the child.

The SENO provides a service to parents, the school and the children by determining the best resources available for the child, helping parents to source services provided by the schools and health services, arranging for psychological assessments, where required, and planning the continuum of support for the child, ranging from SNA assistance, mainstream class settings, to special classes and special schools.

SENOs are permanent employees of the NCSE and have been recruited directly through the Public Appointments Service (PAS) to date. PAS ran a SENO recruitment competition in 2021, and interviews are currently taking place with a view to filling outstanding vacancies as soon as possible.

Furthermore, the NCSE has been granted a recruitment licence which will allow them to recruit SENOs directly in future. This will help to accelerate the recruitment process going forward.

Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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127. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if her Department has engaged with stakeholders in relation to a review of the minimum qualifications required to become a special needs assistant; the steps her Department has taken in this regard; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6353/22]

Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) play a huge role in helping to ensure the inclusion of pupils with significant care needs in education and in school life. This was acknowledged in the Comprehensive Review of the Special Needs Assistant Scheme (SNAs) published by the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) in 2018.

The Review made a number of recommendations regarding SNAs including the training needs of SNAs. In this regard, the NCSE recommended that a new national training programme at Level 5 of the National Qualification Framework be developed for existing SNAs who do not have the requisite level of training and for new SNAs on appointment. The NCSE also recommended that training tailored to the complex needs of some students would also be provided.

The policy advice has been considered by my Department. It was decided that priority would be given to the development of a training programme for SNAs who may not have had a recent opportunity to access a training programme tailored to their role.

The first national training programme for SNAs is now in place and it aims to enhance the knowledge, skills and expertise of SNAs whose work is central to the inclusion of students with additional care and complex needs in school life. The programme is fully funded by the Department and delivered at no cost to the SNA.

As this is the first programme, it is appropriate to take the time to review outcomes and this will inform the future approach to ongoing training and professional development of SNAs. Part of that consideration will include accreditation.

Raising the minimum qualification for appointment as a special needs assistant has been raised by the FORSA union and has been referred to the Workplace Relations Commission. My Department is engaging in that process.

The recruitment and appointment of Special Needs Assistants is a matter for each individual school authority. In addition, the actual requirements for a post will vary depending on the specific needs of the children and the school to which the SNA is to be appointed. My Department does not believe that the existing minimum qualifications has impacted on the calibre of person appointed and it is also the case that people with experience and/or higher qualifications than the minimum are often the successful candidate in competitions held by schools.

However, having considered the claim and, in particular, the period of time since they were set, my Department is open to reviewing the position. My Department has also agreed to a review of the SNA contract which was agreed as part of the Building Momentum national pay agreement. My Department is of the view that the forthcoming review of the SNA contract should be carried out and implemented first.

I am satisfied that the approach outlined fully recognises the important place of SNAs in our schools. The forthcoming review of the SNA contract along with the new training programme for SNAs that is now in place will help to enhance the experience of children with special needs in our schools.