Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 25 May 2022
109. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Education further to Parliamentary Question No. 103 of 27 April 2022, the persons that will be taking on this pupil’s case load; the format that it will take; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26722/22]
View answerVisiting teachers for children who are deaf/hard of hearing or blind/visually impaired provide additional supports for such children, their families, and schools. Details of the services which are provided to schools and families by the visiting teacher service are available at ncse.ie/visiting-teachers.
Each visiting teacher (VT) is responsible for a particular region and is allocated a caseload of students. The VT supports children/young people, parents, guardians, teachers and other professionals involved with the child. The frequency and nature of support takes into account a range of factors based on the individual’s needs.
Since 2017 the NCSE has responsibility for the management of the Visiting Teachers service which is currently made up of permanent teachers and teachers on secondment. Seconded teachers are generally limited to a period of five years. The NCSE will also be recruiting directly to ensure that all Visiting Teacher posts are filled by September 2022.
The student in question is currently availing of the visiting teacher service and the NCSE visiting teacher service will continue to support this student in September 2022. The NCSE actively works to ensure no break in the support service occurs should any visiting teacher vacancy arise.
