Pauline Tully (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

621.To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the rationale for not rolling out in-school therapy supports in all special schools and instead running a pilot scheme given therapy supports were only removed from special schools in 2020; to detail the learning she hopes to achieve during this pilot phase which is not already known.[35002/24]

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for her correspondence .

Since 2021 the Government has sought to reinstate the pre-existing on-site health and social care supports to special schools. Between 2021 and 2022 the Government provided funding for the reinstatement of 223 posts that had been historically provided. While some services have been reinstated it is acknowledged that progress has been affected by the shortage of health and social care professionals.

As announced the enhanced in-school therapy supports pilot, which is based in Cork and Dublin, will begin on a phased implementation plan commencing in September for the six selected schools. Ten additional schools in Cork and Dublin will be added throughout the 2024/2025 school year. It is anticipated that the additional ten schools will be identified by the end of October 2024 with a view to commencing those in a position to progress in January 2025.

The focus of this pilot is to provide the effective delivery of enhanced in-school therapy supports to children in selected special schools. This pilot will supplement existing services being provided through Children’s Disability Network Teams (CDNTs), as children with special needs will continue to attend their local CDNT for their one-to-one appointments with speech and language therapists and occupational therapists.

The selection of the pilot locations and the associated schools was informed by detailed engagement between the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY), the Department of Education (DoE), the Health Service Executive (HSE) and the National Council for Special Education (NCSE). School selection was based on where the needs profile of the children identified as greatest, and where resourcing is not currently available in proportion to these needs.

It is acknowledged there are many deserving schools that support children with complex needs.

However, in the selection process it was essential to consider the capacity of Phase 1 and to align the availability of associated resources. This includes four special schools identified in Cork and two in north Dublin, as a first element of the pilot.

It is vitally important to highlight that this is Phase 1 of the Pilot. There are a further 10 schools to be selected in the full Pilot. A school not being selected in Phase 1 does not preclude selection in other phases.

The pilot will commence in these six special schools in September 2024 and intends to be fully established in these six schools no later than December 2024. Detailed engagement will take place with management of the respective special schools as soon as schools reopen for the start of the new school year.

It is the Government’s ambition and intention, in time and depending on the outcomes of the pilot, to extend to more special schools in other locations