Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 27 July 2021
930. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Education the longest period currently spent on the home tuition grant by a child with additional educational needs; the average time spent on a home tuition grant by children with additional educational needs in 2019, 2020 and to date in 2021; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39187/21]
View answerThe purpose of the Home Tuition Grant Scheme is to provide funding towards the provision of a compensatory educational service for children who, for a number of specific reasons, are unable to attend school.
Home tuition is not an alternative to a school placement and is provided in very limited and specific circumstances. By its nature, it is intended to be a short term intervention.
The scheme provides a compensatory educational service for
- Children with special educational needs seeking an educational placement in a recognised school
- Students, enrolled in schools, with significant medical conditions which has caused, and is likely to continue to cause, major disruption to their attendance at school
- The scheme also provides Home Tuition for pre-school/early educational intervention for children with autism who meet the schemes eligibility criteria.
Each of the strands of the scheme prescribe the hours available for allocation. For children with Autism aged from 2.5 years to 3 years the number of tuition hours available is 10. From 3 years, for children with Autism for whom school placements are not available, the number of available tuition hours is 20 per week.
For children with special educational needs over 4 years for whom school placements are not available, the number of available tuition hours is 20 per week.
For children with medical conditions the hours granted are reflective of the time the child has been absent from school and these are listed in my Department's Home Tuition circular.
Departments Circular 0038/2021, which sets out the number of hours applicable under each strand of the scheme. The applicable criteria under which children qualify for Home Tuition support are set out in this circular.
Home Tuition statistics in relation to the length of time that individual children have been sanctioned for home tuition support, as requested by the Deputy, are not readily available. The information provided below relates to the number of applications for Home Tuition support sanctioned under the scheme. at any one time, a small number children with significant health conditions will be in receipt of home tuition on an ongoing basis due to the severity of their condition.
It is important to note that Home tuition funding is not an alternative to a school placement, by its nature it is intended to be a short term intervention.
For this reason home tuition will not be available where a suitable school placement has been identified by the NCSE.
Similarly, failure to enrol a child in school will not give rise to eligibility under this scheme.
The local SENO will continue to be available to engage with the family and the school concerned to ensure that the child's needs are addressed.
Details of the number of applications for Home Tuition support which were sanctioned in 2019, 2020 and 2021 school year:
|
- |
Mental Health |
Medical |
ASD Early Intervention |
SEN no placement |
Total |
Cost |
|
2018/2019 |
381 |
303 |
158 |
829 |
1,671 |
€18,741,450 |
|
2019/2020 |
364 |
277 |
120 |
703 |
1,464 |
€15,040,000 |
|
2020/2021 |
346 |
227 |
106 |
752 |
1,335 |
n/a |
