Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein)
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351. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to consider extending the pilots for enhanced in-school therapy supports to special schools in the midlands; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5926/25]

Michael Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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Since 2021, the Government has sought to reinstate therapy supports previously available to special schools. Between 2021 and 2022, the Government provided funding for the reinstatement of 223 posts that had been historically provided in approximately half of all special schools. While some services have been reinstated it is acknowledged that progress has been affected by the shortage of health and social care professionals.

Through the Progressing Disability Services Oversight Group, the Department of Education is working with the Department of Health, DCEDIY and the HSE to develop and strengthen more coherent structures to enable children and young people to access therapeutic supports, including those who attend special schools.

As a result of this engagement, and as you are aware, Phase 1 of the enhanced in-school therapy supports pilot commenced in September 2024, in six schools in the Cork and Dublin. An additional ten schools were announced as part of the pilot on 8th November 2024, in Cork, Dublin and Galway, with phased onboarding of schools to the pilot over the course of the 2024/2025 academic year.

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.

It is my ambition and intention, in time and taking into account the outcomes of the enhanced in-school therapy support pilot, to extend these supports to more special schools in other locations.

Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein)
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352. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills how the effectiveness and outcomes of the pilots for enhanced in-school therapy supports to special schools in the midlands are being monitored; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5927/25]

Michael Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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The pilot for enhanced in-school therapy support to special schools is an integrated pilot programme which sees the delivery of enhanced in-school therapy supports provided by the HSE’s Children’s Disability Network Teams and will be supported by the National Council for Special Education (NCSE).

The Department and NCSE are also represented on the Steering Group overseeing the pilot, which meets weekly, to monitor the progress of this initiative.

The focus of this pilot is to provide the effective delivery of enhanced in-school therapy supports to children in selected special schools, managed in a coherent and collaborative manner through the relevant stakeholders. This pilot will seek to provide an integrated model of service ensuring that all stakeholders are represented on the Steering Group overseeing the pilot, which meets weekly, to monitor the progress of this initiative, including in special schools, have relevant input and, through effective governance mechanisms, are able to verify that additional resources are implementing the required level of service for children and their families.

The enhanced in-school therapy supports pilot commenced in September 2024 in Cork and Dublin on a phased implementation basis for the six selected schools. An additional ten schools, in Cork, Dublin and Galway were announced as part of the pilot on 8th November 2024 with phased onboarding of schools to the pilot over the course of the 2024-2025 academic year.

The evaluation of the Special Schools Pilot for enhanced in-school therapy 2024-25 will be undertaken by the National Disability Authority and this will inform the future development of policy in both education and health provision.