Paul McAuliffe (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

225. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the estimated cost to rollout disability awareness training to all Intreo staff. [37191/24]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The Department has developed a “Be Disability Aware” eLearning unit that is provided to all staff, including staff in Intreo Centres.

This is an introduction to disability and aims to raise awareness of what disability is and how disability is defined by law. It also aims to increase the learner’s knowledge about different types of disability, how to talk about disability and how to work with staff and customers with a disability.

This eLearning unit was developed in house by our Disability Liaison Officer and eLearning team.

Disability awareness training is also contained within our Customer Services training module.

Both the ‘Be Disability Aware’ eLearning and ‘Customer Service’ course are part of the induction programme completed by all new staff to the Department.

The course was developed by staff of the Department and is delivered online; there are no costs in its delivery other than IT licence charges.

A number of staff have done additional disability awareness training with an external provider. 28 in 2022, 57 in 2023 and 36 so far this year. The cost of this training is €105 per staff member.

If this additional training was provided for all Intreo staff, including community welfare service and employment services staff, it would cost in the region of €0.37 million for 3,500 staff.