Niall Collins
Question:619. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Education if she has plans for speech therapists to be returned to special schools full-time, not shared; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1499/25]
View answerWednesday, 22 January 2025
Questions (619)
Written answers
The provision of clinical therapy supports to children, including Speech and Language Therapy and Occupational Therapy, is the responsibility of the HSE, through Primary Care or the Children’s Network Disability Teams (CDNT).
Through the Progressing Disability Services Oversight Group, the Department of Education is working with the Department of Health, DCEDIY and the HSE to develop and strengthen more coherent structures to enable children and young people to access therapeutic supports, including those who attend special schools.
As a result of this engagement, Phase 1 of the enhanced in-school therapy supports pilot commenced in September 2024, in six schools in the Cork and Dublin. An additional ten schools were announced as part of the pilot on 8th November 2024.
This integrated pilot programme will see the delivery of enhanced in-school therapy supports provided by the HSE’s Children’s Disability Network Teams and will be supported by the National Council for Special Education (NCSE).
The focus of this pilot is to provide the effective delivery of enhanced in-school therapy supports to children in selected special schools. This pilot will supplement existing services provided through Children’s Disability Network Teams (CDNTs). Children with special needs will continue to have access to HSE/HSE funded children’s services for individualised interventions from clinicians, such as speech and language therapists as required and in line with the child and families’ goals.
A detailed evaluation of the pilot programme will inform the future development of policy in both education and health provision.
It is my ambition and intention, in time and taking into account the outcomes of the enhanced in-school therapy support pilot, to extend these supports, including speech and language therapists, to more special schools in other locations.
Separately, on the 20th of June 2024 Minister Foley and I announced the Educational Therapy Support Service (ETSS). The ETSS is designed to build the capacity of teachers (and other school personnel as relevant) to provide as effectively as possible for the needs of all students, including students attending special schools. Therapists will work in classrooms with teachers to provide therapeutic, evidenced informed interventions that will benefit all students.
The ETSS arose from the clearly identified need for wraparound support in schools in the areas of Occupational Therapy and Speech and Language therapy. Based on this need the provision of Speech and Language Therapy and Occupational Therapy supports in schools was prioritised initially.
The ETSS is delivered through the NCSE. The ETSS provides 2 strands of support. Strand I involves Regional Therapy Support and includes Teacher Professional Learning (TPL) seminars with in-school support. It is planned that these supports will be available nationally for the 2025/2026 school year. The second strand, Strand II provides Sustained In-School Therapy for a period of 24 months, in line with the School Inclusion Model (SIM).
The NCSE intends to deliver Strand II of the ETSS initially, in its Eastern and Western regions. Dublin is the base for the Eastern region and Limerick has been identified as the most suitable hub for the Western region. This includes Kerry, Clare, Limerick, Galway, Mayo and Roscommon. The ETSS is available to all schools in these regions, including primary, post-primary and special schools following an application process through the NCSE. A number of schools in the Eastern region are currently availing of this service.