Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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The provision of therapies for those with disabilities is the responsibility of my colleague Minister Rabbitte and the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth.

However, supporting the provision of appropriate education for children with additional needs is a key priority for the Department of Education. One example of such support is the School Inclusion Model (SIM) approved for trialling in the 2019/20 school year. The School Inclusion Model (SIM) provides a systematic approach to building the capacity of school communities to meet the needs of students. SIM comprises two main sources of additional support for schools; a team of in-school therapists and enhanced support from NEPS.

SIM was initially designed as a one year pilot involving up to 75 participating schools in the CHO 7 region. It was interrupted by Covid-19 with the closure of schools and the diversion of HSE therapists from the project to Covid-related work. It was then extended to the 2020/21 school year which was also interrupted by Covid. The Pilot recommenced in November 2021 in CHO7. Progress has been made on aspects of the model but much remains to be done in terms of in-school implementation, evaluation and expansion.

Preliminary longer-term data indicates that when therapists collaborate with schools in the delivery of teacher-led interventions, schools can sustain this support in the absence of the therapist. These examples are representative of the potential long-term impact of SIM therapists working in collaboration with schools. This data illustrates that intervention approaches can build teacher capacity, influence culture, and provide educational staff with the skills to manage challenges without needing to link with the HSE.

While the Department’s initial intention was to expand SIM to other areas, pressures relating to workforce supply (therapists and psychologists) have resulted in SIM being limited to one CHO area. The Department has experienced a number of challenges and barriers to continuing the roll-out of SIM in CH07 and expanding SIM to other areas at this time. The single biggest challenge is the availability of therapists and psychologists.

To this end, The National Council for Special Education and the Department are currently proposing progressing an expansion of the in-school therapy programme in SIM. The NCSE propose to de-couple the current temporary allocation of NCSE therapists (39) from the SIM region and geographically re-deploy and embed them across the rest of the NCSE’s regional team structure. This proposal, if progressed, will result will ensure that schools can access the right educational supports at the right time from Advisors, visiting teachers, SENO’s and therapists. Therapists will work with their NCSE team as well as collaborating with other service providers such as NEPS and HSE funded services (Primary Care, CDNT, CAMHS etc.) My Department is currently engaging with DPER in relation to the resourcing of this expansion plan.

As indicated by the above engagement my Department welcomes any initiatives to support increased supply and retention of therapists into the Disability Services and into the education system. Further, the Department is committed to continuing the close working relationship with the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth and other key government departments and agencies to support measures to increase the supply and retention of these key staff.