Emer Currie (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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988. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth for an update on the special schools pilot providing delivery of in-school therapy supports to children in selected special schools, in addition to existing services being provided through children’s disability network teams (CDNTs); if there are plans to extend this scheme to other special schools such as a school in Dublin (details supplied) which has recently accepted 12 new students but has not been given any additional supports or wrap-around services from the nearest CDNT; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3170/25]

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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On the 9th August, Government made a decision to support a special schools’ pilot to deliver enhanced in-school therapy supports to children in sixteen special schools during the 2024/2025 academic year. This pilot supplements existing services being provided through Children’s Disability Network Teams (CDNTs).

Six schools were selected to participate in Phase 1 of the pilot and ten schools were selected for Phase 2, with phased onboarding of schools to the pilot over the course of the 2024/2025 academic year.

The Health Service Executive (HSE) advises that all six schools in Phase 1 have filled most of the therapy posts assigned as part of the pilot. This includes three of the Cork area schools and one of the Dublin area schools in Phase 1, who have now filled all therapy posts allocated as part of the pilot.

All schools in Phase 1 of the pilot are receiving some provision of additional in-school therapy supports, with recruitment efforts ongoing by HSE and the Lead agencies to fill outstanding posts, to scale up provision to targeted levels. The recruitment campaigns for Phase 1 schools are at various stages, with some staff due to commence in post and others at a late stage in the recruitment process.

The ten schools in Phase 2 of the pilot will come on board on a phased basis in 2025, with recruitment to these schools in the early stages. While recruitment efforts are ongoing, the children in each of the sixteen special schools continue to receive supports through their local CDNT.

The HSE advises that it is pursuing all measures to bridge the gaps that currently exist between intended levels of service and what is being delivered.

Any future extension of this pilot will be a matter for Government.