The Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Programme, is the responsibility of my colleague, the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs. While certain flexibilities had been built in to the Programme to facilitate the inclusion of children with a disability the Better Outcomes, Brighter Futures children and young people's policy framework contained a commitment to develop a plan to facilitate the full participation of such children in the ECCE Programme. The Department of Children and Youth Affairs has lead responsibility for the implementation of this commitment and has concluded an intensive process of deliberation and consultation on the matter in conjunction with my Department and the Department of Education and Skills and has brought forward a new model of supports to facilitate the full participation of children with a disability in the ECCE Programme.
As part of Budget 2016, the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs has announced the necessary funding to implement the new model of ECCE supports for children with a disability. The new model will provide supports including enhanced continuing professional development for early years practitioners; grants for equipment, appliances and minor alterations; and access to therapeutic intervention. Funding of €15m has been provided to phase these supports in during 2016. Full year costs for these supports are estimated to be €33m from 2017 onwards.
Just to add, in relation to the specific information sought by the Deputy that while the Health Service Executive has no statutory obligation to provide assistant supports for children with special needs wishing to avail of the ECCE scheme, it has worked at local level and in partnership with the relevant disability service providers to address individual needs as they arise. This has been 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 a disability to attend mainstream pre-schools by providing assistant supports where possible and where resources are available. The provision of such pre-school assistant supports should not be confused with Special Needs Assistants who are funded by the Department of Education and Skills to support children with special educational needs in primary and post-primary school settings.
Within this context, I have asked the HSE to respond directly to the Deputy in relation to the information that he has sought insofar as it is available. If you have not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days please contact my Private Office and they will follow up the matter with them.
