Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 30 November 2023
88. Deputy Michael Moynihan asked the Minister for Education if she will report on the number of special education needs organiser posts not being filled across the country; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52659/23]
View answerI would like to thank the Deputy for his question and am pleased to take this opportunity to assure him and this House that not only will all vacant SENO posts will be filled, but there will be a significant increase in the number of SENOs employed by the NCSE. At present, there are 70 SENOs nationwide, out of a staffing complement of 73 SENOs. There is a recruitment drive for SENOs underway and the NCSE is also undertaking a strategic review of the organisation. This will see an improvement in how front line staff are allocated to best meet the needs of children and the schools which they attend.
As a result of the significant increase in funding that this Government provided to the NCSE in Budget 2023, the NCSE is now undergoing an expansion which will see a 50% increase in the number of staff employed. A huge focus of the increase in staff will be on front line services and this will see SENO numbers increased by at least an additional 43 staff.
I wish to acknowledge the challenges for children, their families and schools as a result of vacancies in NCSE, which were further exacerbated by a significant growth in the need for NCSE services in recent years. At present each of the SENOs is responsible for approximately 55 schools on average. In certain areas, particularly if there was intensive engagement on school placements or exceptional reviews, this could mean multiple visits to a very small numbers of schools, to the detriment of others.
It was a priority for me that the NCSE expands and develop its services to meet the needs of children with special educational needs in a responsive and child-centred way. That is why we are investing an additional €13 million for the recruitment of up to 161 additional staff into the organisation. It was very important that the NCSE plan effectively for this expansion and for that reason they have undertaken a significant organisational development review over the last 12 months. I am pleased to say this will be ready to roll out from January 2024.
The NCSE has undertaken a significant process of engagement with both internal and external stakeholders in the context of the organisational design process. It is critical that the NCSE took this opportunity to evaluate its structure, operating model and resource requirements in order to deliver on its strategic objectives and be responsive to the needs of students, parents and schools.
As part of the organisational design, the NCSE has identified key drivers in demand for services, underpinned by a robust analysis of data gathered over the last 5 years. This will ensure that the NCSE can best match current and future resources to specific areas of need on an individual county based, and that the NCSE will have a working model to project areas of future need so they can respond to and anticipate changing circumstances to meet the needs of children, their families and schools as they arise.
In addition, the new detailed organisational design will significantly change the structure of the organisation, including a doubling of the number of regional teams, all of which will contain SENOs and Advisors.
A nationwide competition for the recruitment of SENOs was advertised in October 2023 with a closing date of November 2nd for receipt of applications.
I am very pleased to report that there was a substantial response to the competition and it is currently moving through the various selection stages. It is intended that the intake from this recruitment campaign will commence in January 2024 and the new staff will be assigned to fill the small number of existing vacancies and to take up the new positions created as part of the NCSE expansion.
