Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Solidarity)
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165. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to give a detailed account of guidelines and training given to teachers, SNAs and other school staff in relation to "challenging behaviour" in children with additional educational needs. [22094/25]

Michael Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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On December 12, 2024, the department published the "Understanding Behaviours of Concern and Responding to Crisis Situations in Schools" guidelines.

“Behaviours of concern” are defined in the guidelines as “behaviours that indicate a risk to the safety or wellbeing of the people who exhibit them or to others”.

The guidelines have been developed to address uncertainty for staff on how to respond when facing crisis situation where there are concerns regarding physical safety. They focus on creating inclusive environments which can respond to need and build on good practice including prevention and de-escalation.

Development of the guidelines has been informed by evidence showing that whole school positive behavioural approaches and early and ongoing engagement with the school community, including parents/guardians, are necessary for the development of effective school policy and practice.

The guidelines place a strong focus on prevention and early intervention strategies for the management of crisis situations in which physical intervention may be employed only as the last part of a comprehensive, positive, and planned behavioural approach by the school.

The guidelines explicitly state seclusion should not be used under any circumstances in any recognised school setting.

These important guidelines will aid schools and provide guidance on effective approaches to supporting students with behaviours of concern. The guidelines provide an essential reference point for people working with children and young people with complex needs in challenging situations.

In developing the guidelines they were subject to an extensive consultation process with education stakeholders and advocacy groups. In addition, the Guidelines and the attendant training programme were subject to trials in special schools. In that regard, the Department has taken account of feedback provided in the development of the guidelines.

A range of training opportunities is available to schools through the National Council for Special Education to support their engagement with the guidelines and with the broader issue of student behaviour.

Aligned to the publication is a training programme consisting of 3 levels. Special schools will be prioritised in respect of training opportunities.

Outline of Training Plan for Guidelines:

• Training for All Schools - Online webinars and a number of face-to-face information sessions were held in Education Centres during January, February and March, the department are planning more face to face information sessions for the 2025/2026 academic year. The online webinars will be for teachers and, separately, for parents.
• Training for Some Schools - NCSE training is provided, on request, to schools on behaviour. All training programmes provided by NCSE will take full account of the key messages in the guidelines.
• Training for a Few Schools – Procured external training on de-escalation and physical restraint. This training will be provided in the first instance for schools which demonstrate a clear need for this training. However, it will be ultimately available to all schools who require same.