Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 8 June 2016
168. Deputy Jack Chambers asked the Minister for Education and Skills why sensory processing disorder is not included in the criteria for the assessment of special needs assistants, SNAs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14296/16]
View answerRecent years have seen an increase in the number of SNAs from 10,575 posts in 2011, to 12,040 to June 2016. In the same period the number of children accessing SNA support has grown from approximately 22,000 to some 30,000 by the end of 2015.
The increase in SNA numbers has been supported by a very significant increase in the Budget for SNAs, rising from €332 million in 2011 to €402 million by the end of 2015.
This is a higher level of Special Needs Assistant (SNA) support than ever before, which ensures that children with special educational needs can continue to participate in education and be supported in a manner appropriate to their needs.
The Deputy will be aware that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE), through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs), is responsible for allocating a quantum of Special Needs Assistant (SNA) support for each school annually taking into account the assessed care needs of children qualifying for SNA support enrolled in the school. Where children have significant care needs whereby they may need additional support to be able to attend school, the NCSE may make an allocation of SNA support to the school to assist that child.
The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in allocating such support, which is set out in my Department's Circular 0030/2014.
In accordance with Circular 0030/14, SNAs are provided specifically to assist schools to cater for pupils with disabilities, who have additional and significant care needs, in an educational context and where the nature of these care needs have been outlined in medical and other professional reports as being so significant that a pupil will require additional adult assistance in order to be able to attend school and to participate in education.
While consideration of professional reports is an integral part of determining the extent of supports to be provided for pupils with special educational needs, responsibility for deciding on the quantum of educational supports and resources to be allocated to schools to support individual pupils, rests with the NCSE.
For a child to require or qualify for access to SNA support, a child must have an assessed disability. The care needs outlined must be of such significance that they are beyond that which would normally be expected to be provided to a child by the child's class teacher, support teacher, or other school teachers, or beyond the level of assistance which could be offered to the student by his/ or her fellow pupils in school. The care needs must also be those beyond which could normally be provided for by alternative supportive approaches or modifications of the classroom environment, teaching approaches and/or assistive technology or specialist equipment.
The type of significant care needs that pupils may have can be varied, depending on the nature or level of the disability or sensory impairment that a child may have. Given the variety of medical conditions that children may suffer from, it is not possible to list all of the care needs that may arise. However, Circular 0030/14 outlines the primary care needs which would be considered significant – and which might require SNA support.
