Vol. 411 No. 7
77 Mr. McCormack asked the Minister for Education if she will give details of the policy of her Department regarding the appointment of child care assistants in special classes for mentally handicapped children in national schools.
87 Mr. McCormack asked the Minister for Education if she will outline the policy of her Department regarding the appointment of child care assistants in special classes for mentally handicapped children in national schools.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 77 and 87 together.
While child care assistants are utilised in schools, their role is not educational but rather one of attending to the physical needs of handicapped children. As such, it has generally been considered that the provision of such assistants is a matter for the Department of Health.
In 1979, a special school was introduced under which my Department funded the appointment of 86 child care assistants to special schools for handicapped children. However, in more recent years, the embargo on public sector recruitment has meant that no further appointments could be made.
The question of rationalising the delivery of child care assistant support will be one of the issues addressed by the special committee (under Declan Brennan) established to examine the educational provision for children with special needs. Among that committee's terms of reference is the task of examining and reporting on the linkages which exist between the various Departments operating in this field.
