John Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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1176. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the history of his Department’s involvement and policy role in the provision of early-intervention education; the responsibilities of his Department and others in relation to early-intervention education; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29324/22]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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I can inform the Deputy of the following supports provided my Department, specifically:

The ECCE Programme, which was established in 2010 to provide children with their first formal experience of early learning prior to commencing primary school.

When first introduced, the ECCE Programme was delivered over 38 weeks in a given ECCE Programme Year and children were required to be between the ages of 3 years and 2 months and 4 years and 7 months in September in the year they enrolled.

In accordance with recommendations in the Report of the Inter-Departmental Group on Future Investment and the Report of the Expert Advisory Group on the Early Years Strategy, Right from the Start , this Programme was extended in September 2016. Under this expanded Programme children were eligible to enrol in the Programme at age three, and remain in Programme until they transitioned primary school (or reached 5 years 6 months).

In line with a commitment in the Programme for a Partnership Government, the ECCE Programme was expanded again. Since September 2018, children qualify for two years of pre-school under this Programme and can enrol when they are 2 years and 8 months of age in September in the year they enrol and continue until they transfer to primary school (or reach 5 years 6 months).

Since introduction, the ECCE programme has enjoyed high participation rates, with more than 95% of the eligible cohort benefitting from the programme.

The Access and Inclusion Model (AIM)was introduced in 2016, to enable the full inclusion and meaningful participation of children with disabilities/additional needs in the ECCE Programme. AIM involves 7 levels of progressive support, moving from the universal to the targeted, based on the needs of the child and the early learning and care setting. Universal supports are designed to create a more inclusive culture in early learning and care settings, through training courses and qualifications for staff. Where universal supports are not enough to meet the needs of an individual child, targeted supports are available to ensure the child can meaningfully participate in the ECCE programme.

More than 4,000 children with disabilities/additional needs receive targeted AIM supports every year, and many other children are benefitting from universal AIM supports.

First 5 committed to undertake an evaluation of AIM and subject to evaluation findings and other relevant developments, to consider enhancements to, and/or extension of, AIM to, for example, all early learning and care services, all school-age childcare services and to children with additional needs other than a disability. The AIM evaluation is close to completion and the report is due to be published in quarter 3 of this year. The findings from the evaluation will inform further development of AIM, as committed to in First 5.

The Area Based Childhood (ABC) Programmeis an area-based prevention and early intervention initiative which is delivered in 12 areas of significant socioeconomic disadvantage across the country through Tusla’s Prevention Partnership and Family Support (PPFS) services. The ABC Programme works in partnership with families, practitioners, communities and national stakeholders to deliver better outcomes for children and families living in areas where poverty is deeply entrenched. My Department is currently funding Tusla to scale proven models from the ABC programme under the What Works prevention and early intervention initiative. Work is underway identifying the locations for these in areas of deprivation across Ireland.

In addition to supports provided by my Department, the State supports early intervention for children with special educational needs through the following:

- Early Intervention classes in mainstream and special schools

- Early Intervention settings in HSE funded service providers

- Early intervention settings supported by HSE grant aid or HSE funded Pre-School Assistant.

- Home Tuition Grant Scheme for children aged between 3 and 4 years of age with a diagnosis of autism where a placement in an Early Intervention setting is not available.