Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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361. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if a grant or transport scheme is available to parents of preschool children with additional needs who need to attend a specialist childcare facility which is outside of their local area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45701/24]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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It is unclear from the question as to nature of the specialist facility. If the facility being referred to is an early intervention unit for Autistic children then there may be funding available through the Department of Education and the query should be directed to that Department.

The Department of Education provides a School Transport Scheme, the purpose of which is, having regard to available resources, to support the transport to and from school of children who reside remote from their nearest school.

The National Council for Special Education acts in an advisory role to the Department of Education on the suitability of placements for children with special educational needs. Under the terms of the School Transport Scheme for Children with Special Educational Needs, the Department will consider the report of the Special Education Needs Organiser (SENO). School transport is provided to children with special educational needs who are attending the nearest school to their place of residence that is or can be resourced to meet their educational needs, as identified by the SENO.

An application for transport may be submitted for a pupil in an Early Intervention ASD class and transport will be approved where the pupil has an ASD diagnosis and is attending the setting nearest their home resourced to meet their needs.

In mainstream early learning and childcare settings, the Access and Inclusion Model (AIM) is a model of supports designed to ensure that children with disabilities who are eligible for ECCE can access early learning and childcare. Its goal is to empower pre-school providers to deliver an inclusive pre-school experience, ensuring that every eligible child can meaningfully participate in, and reap the benefits of, high quality early learning and care.

AIM provides for a series of in-service supports including advice, equipment and additional staffing depending on the individuals needs of the child. AIM does not provide funding for transport. General funding through state subsidised fees may at discretion of the provider be used to support a transport service offer.

Should a family seek to secure a place in a more local mainstream early learning and childcare setting they should contact their local City/County Childcare Committee. Contact details are at myccc.ie. For more specialised provision queries, they should contact their local SENO. Contact details are available at ncse.ie.