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Special Educational Needs Data

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 14 July 2015

Tuesday, 14 July 2015

Questions (503, 504, 505)

Sandra McLellan

Question:

503. Deputy Sandra McLellan asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the funding allocated to the provision of a special needs assistant, in association with the early childhood care and education scheme, from the start of 2015; and the number of special needs assistants this would involve. [29141/15]

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Sandra McLellan

Question:

504. Deputy Sandra McLellan asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the average amount, per child, allocated by his Department for special needs assistants for the free preschool year for 2015-16. [29142/15]

View answer

Sandra McLellan

Question:

505. Deputy Sandra McLellan asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of children with special needs of early childhood care and education age; and the steps taken to date to establish this number. [29143/15]

View answer

Written answers

I propose to take Questions Nos. 503 to 505, inclusive, together.

The Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Programme is a free and universal programme for all children, including children with special needs. Approximately 65,000 children are participating in this Programme in the current school year. My Department does not collate figures in relation to the number of children with special needs who are within the eligibility age range for the ECCE programme.

While there is currently no specific funding available from my Department to provide additional support to children with special needs accessing the ECCE programme, there are a number of measures in place to ensure that the free pre-school year is more accessible to these children. These include an exemption from the upper age limit where a child would benefit from starting primary school at a later age. In addition, children with special needs can apply to have the pre-school year split over two years on a pro-rata basis, for example availing of the programme for 2 days a week in the first year and for 3 days a week in the second year.

In addition, while the Health Service Executive has no statutory obligation to provide assistant supports for children with special needs wishing to avail of the free pre-school year, it does work at local level and in partnership with the relevant disability service providers to address individual needs as they arise. This is done, for example, by funding special pre-schools that cater specifically for children with disabilities. In some limited cases at local level, disability services have also facilitated children with disabilities in some instances to attend mainstream pre-schools by providing assistant supports where possible and subject to resources.

This Government recognises however, that co-ordination and provision of appropriate supports for pre-school children with special needs could be improved. Accordingly, when I established the Inter-Departmental Group on Future Investment in Early Years and School Age Care and Education, I included in its terms of reference the need to examine how best to provide for children with special needs within the ECCE Programme.

To advance this, the Departments of Children and Youth Affairs, Education and Skills, and Health have agreed to work together to develop a new model of supports for pre-school children with special needs. My Department is leading the process, with full and active support from the other two Departments and their respective agencies.

A group comprising representatives from these three Departments, the HSE, Tusla, the National Council for Special Education, the National Disability Authority, Better Start and the Dublin City Childcare Committee has started its work. This Group aims to have an agreed model by early September, with a view to making a cross-departmentally supported proposal for the resources required in time for the Estimates process.

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