Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 2 Feb 2023

Vol. 1032 No. 6

Report on the Summer Programme 2023: Motion [Private Members]

Deputy Pat Buckley

I move:

That Dáil Éireann shall take note of the Report of the Joint Committee on Autism entitled "Report on the Summer Programme 2023", copies of which were laid before Dáil Éireann on 28th November, 2022.

I will be brief because I am sharing time with Senator Carrigy. This is a motion on the Joint Committee on Autism's report on the summer programme for 2023. There were a number of recommendations in the report. I will speak specifically to one and I suppose some Members will take others. The report recommends:

That the Department of education expands the range of professions that may participate in the summer programme to include the following:

- Child psychologists

- Speech and Language Therapists

- Occupational Therapists

- Early childcare workers

- Third level students in the final two years of their programme in education, Psychology, Therapy (such as Occupational Therapy and Speech and Language Therapy), Nursing and Medicine.

We are very lucky that the committee is very committed to what it is doing but also because it is very apolitical. We are all on this committee because we care. The idea behind this programme was that we wanted to do things right and improve things. We have listened to many witness statements and the testimony of family members. Even during the very short course of this committee, I have learned a lot about people who have educational needs, challenging needs and so on and so forth. I appeal to the Minister of State to take this report on board and have a look at the recommendations we have come up with. It is not to put pressure on services. We want to improve the services and enhance them. The instant reaction to that is that children and families would have a better time at school but it would also stop the regression when students and families cannot access the summer school.

In my town of Midleton, there is a lady who has been volunteering for 25 or 26 years now. She started off with 20 pupils 25 years ago. She has maybe 250 children now who she does a summer school with every year. There are something like 360 volunteers, who are all kids. My own children did it. It was heartbreaking when they were not allowed volunteer anymore. There is an immense sense of pride in every community and we should have pride in every single person in that community. When people are less advantaged and we have an opportunity to improve their lives, this is what we should do. We are starting at an early age. It is like everything. This will only enhance the services in any town or village in the country. I want to move this report forward. I am conscious of the number of speakers waiting to contribute, so I will hand over to Senator Carrigy.

Senator Micheál Carrigy

I thank the Business Committee for selecting this report for debate in the Dáil today. I also thank it for proposing, and the Dáil for agreeing, that I, as a Senator and Chair of the Joint Committee on Autism, could attend and be heard during these proceedings. I thank my fellow members on the committee for the work they have put into this report and Deputy Buckley, who sponsored the motion.

The Joint Committee on Autism held its first public meeting on the 28 June last year. It was established with a view to producing its final report at the end of March this year. However, it became very clear when we began our public meetings in June of last year that education matters, and particularly those relating to the summer programme, required urgent attention from the Government. At our very first public meetings, we considered the issue of education. As we engaged with stakeholders in the education sector, we received more and more correspondence from parents who could not access a place in the summer programme and from parents who could not even access a place in a school. Throughout the course of our public meetings, we received harrowing testimonies from families who have been failed by the education system. We have been privileged to welcome a number of families to speak before the committee - families who have fought tirelessly on behalf of their children and, indeed, their wider families. They have founded campaign groups, established support networks and provided information to families who find themselves facing the same challenges they did when trying to access services. The work these parents have done cannot be underestimated but it is work they should not have to do. Parents should not have to organise campaigns to convince the State to provide adequate places within the school programme. We should not have to fight to access school classrooms.

The report on the summer programme 2023 emerged in no small part due to the efforts of these parents and many others across Ireland. They should be commended on their tireless work in difficult circumstances. This interim report was undertaken in the context of the clear failings we identified with the summer programme in 2021 and 2022. Figures from the Department of Education show that 80% of children in special schools had no access to the summer programme in 2021. That same year, fewer than 5% of children in special schools got the full four weeks. It is unacceptable that the very children for whom the programme was established are now excluded from participating in it. I note that a number of schools sent correspondence to families last summer stating they would not be participating in the programme in summer 2023.

I am aware that forward planning and good organisation are central to providing a successful school programme. It is with this in mind that we published this interim report several months in advance of the committee's final report. We published it with the intention of giving the opportunity to the Minister and the Department of Education to ensure that adequate resources and supports are in place for schools to provide the summer programme for the children who need and deserve it.

I referred to the contributions made by the parents of autistic children. Parents discussed a range of issues that arise when a school-based summer programme is not made available to a child who relies on it. The interruption to an autistic child's routine can have catastrophic results for that child and their family. The report details the regression children with autism can experience during the summer holidays. Indeed, neurotypical children experience educational regression during the summer period. However, children with ASD and other forms of special educational needs experience regression to a greater extent than their peers. One of the traits that is sometimes associated with autism is a difficulty in acquiring and maintaining skills. A long period of interruption for an autistic child will greatly impact upon the skills they had acquired due to the efforts of themselves, their teachers, their SNAs and their parents. This is the fundamental premise upon which the summer programme is based.

As many Deputies will be aware, the programme emerged from a court ruling that children with special educational needs experience regression and that they have a right to an education. The very reason the summer programme was initiated was to mitigate this regression. This behavioural regression is one of many sources of stress experienced by families as a result of their inability to access a school-based summer programme. Parents have related heartbreaking stories about the pressure and stress their families are subjected to as a result of this regression. It is incredibly difficult for families to witness self-injurious behaviours, anxiety and anger in their children. Research has shown that the parents of children with ASD experience more stress before their child is diagnosed as they ask why their child is not developing in the way they would have expected.

Parents experience stress when they learn about their child's diagnosis and how they will be supported. Parents also experience stress when they try to access the services their children need - assessment of need, school places and healthcare. Campaigning for adequate services for autistic children is an additional source of stress that, unfortunately, the parents of autistic children have also had to reckon with in recent years.

One of the benefits that the programme can provide to families is respite. Respite is a lifeline for parents who are in the most difficult of circumstances. Children with ASC, autism spectrum condition, can have very high care needs and parents can find themselves as the sole providers of care for their child. Deputies will be aware of the difficulty experienced by many families in accessing respite care, whether publicly or privately. As mentioned in the report, the programme is sometimes the only form of respite available to some parents. Importantly, this respite does not just benefit parents, but entire families. Many parents find themselves directing a lot more attention to their child or children with higher care needs and sometimes feel guilty for being unable to give as much attention to their other children as they would like. Additionally, some children, who are also on their holidays during this period, find themselves caring for their siblings. Care is extremely stressful and difficult work. We should not rely on children to provide it to those who require it. For many, care is unpaid work. Parents have related that in the absence of the programme in their area, they have taken unpaid leave to look after their children. In the current economic climate when costs are rising, and many families are worrying about expenses, we cannot expect families to endure an increased financial burden over the summer months.

At a recent meeting of the committee, we heard from Dr. Áine Roddy of the Atlantic Technological University, ATU. She states that the average annual cost for having a child with autism is in excess of €28,000. She advised that these costs relate to private services, lost income and informal care. The absence of this vital public service contributes to families incurring costs, and in some cases debt, to access interventions and respite care privately, and it contributes to a loss of income due to the necessity to take unpaid leave.

The State cannot expect families to bear the burden of these expenses. The most cost-effective way for the State to intervene in this situation that emerges every summer is to provide a comprehensive summer programme with the funding that is available and to relieve a major source of stress and anxiety for parents. It is important to acknowledge the funding that has been made available by the Government for the summer programme in recent years, more than €40 million in 2022. I welcome the announcement prior to Christmas by the Minister of State, Deputy Madigan, that €40 million is available for the programme for 2023. I acknowledge the significant work that she has done to provide school places for children around the country.

We feel strongly as a committee that we must make a change in the summer programme. We must get more schools on board. There is a responsibility, in particular on the special schools and the principals of special schools. I acknowledge the hard work that they do throughout the year and have done for many years, but we must think of the child first. We must put these recommendations in place to make sure that more than 40 of the 136 special schools we have in this country have school-based programmes this year and that we do not have a situation where more than 6,500 children with the highest needs, the children for whom we set up the summer programme, do not receive it. For these reasons, I strongly encourage the Minister of State, Deputy Madigan, to accept the recommendations. I accept that a lot of work has been done in this area in recent months to adopt and implement the recommendations as outlined in the report.

Minister of State at the Department of Education (Deputy Josepha Madigan)

I thank the Acting Chair for the opportunity to be with Members here today to talk about the summer programme. It has been a particular focus for me as Minister of State with responsibility for special education and inclusion. In fact, I have had the pleasure of visiting many of the summer programmes and have seen at first hand the immeasurable difference this programme makes to children with special educational needs and those experiencing educational disadvantage.

The provision of education for children with special needs is an ongoing priority for the Government and my main focus, as the first ever Minister of State with responsibility for special education and inclusion. I am determined to ensure continuous development of special education provision and policy to allow all children achieve the best possible outcomes in their lives. The summer programme is a very important scheme for pupils with special educational needs and those at great educational disadvantage. I very much want to see it supporting families and students with special educational needs during the summer months.

I thank all the members of the committee, especially the Chair, Senator Carrigy, and Deputy Buckley, who sponsored today's motion, for their dedication, commitment and hard work. It is important first to reflect on the significant progress the summer programme has made in recent years. I want to highlight how numbers have grown since 2019, with 2022 seeing more schools and students participate than ever before. More than 42,000 pupils benefited last year, with more than 1,000 schools running a programme. That was an increase of 20% compared to 2021. If we compare that again to the 2019 figures, when it catered for just 13,000, the numbers have grown by more than 300%. I am not saying there is not more to do, but I am just showing that there has been progress to date. As Members can see, the scale of the project has grown significantly in a short period and as a result so has the level of planning needed. It has helped more than 1,000 Ukrainian children to integrate into their new learning environments through last summer's programme.

I understand the importance of this crucial scheme for families and the children who participate in it. I am very conscious that summer can be a daunting time for the families of children with additional needs, and for some children who do not have enough interaction with friends and peers. I very much welcome the contribution made by the Joint Committee on Autism through its recent report on the summer programme. I again thank all of the committee members for their work, the Chairman, Senator Carrigy, and Deputy Buckley, for sponsoring the motion. The committee has been involved in a lot of work around the country helping people with autism.

I am in agreement with the report and I am committed to addressing the recommendations of the November 2022 report by the joint committee. My Department has also been preparing intensively for 2023 since last summer. I am delighted that the recommendations align with and support how we have been developing the programme. To start, the additional €20 million funding required for next year's programme was approved in budget 2023, bringing the total to €40 million for 2023.

My Department has conducted a review of the summer programme to ensure that we can build on the success of recent years. As part of this review, my Department took a very proactive approach and developed the 2023 programme based on this review and other forms of feedback including engagement with parents, advocacy groups, schools and management bodies with a view to encouraging more schools to participate this year. Department officials met with the principals of special schools in meetings around the country. It is very important that such engagement happens. They also met with officials from Malta on two occasions to utilise some of the learning from its system in the planning and organisation. It was also identified that a particular focus on special schools was needed in 2023 to ensure additional supports are made available to help them run a programme. The inspectorate in the Department has also visited schools, including special schools, as part of that process, and is liaising with staff, parents and the children who participated to help ensure that the review takes account of the lived experience.

The terms of the 2023 programme are being implemented following this comprehensive review and engagement with education partners and stakeholders since last summer, including the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Autism. I believe people will see the hard work my Department has done to develop this year's programme, and that we have listened to all stakeholders. I hope this will increase the number of schools offering the programme and the number of eligible children participating.

This year introduces a new theme for the summer programme, Building Confidence and Connections. The primary aim of this theme is to help children and young people to realise their potential, to be resilient in dealing with the normal stresses of their lives, to take care of their physical well-being and to have a sense of purpose, connection and belonging to their school community. All schools are encouraged to design their programme around this theme. Guidance and training material will be provided to schools to help them with this process. The summer programme is intended to be an enjoyable experience, and it always is, for both pupils and staff. The range of activities should reflect this year's theme and include opportunities for pupil-centred, play-based engagement.

This year, all primary school, special school and post-primary programmes will be able to provide a summer programme as well. DEIS numeracy and literacy camps, campaí samhraidh, are also still available in DEIS primary schools. They are very important too.

A home-based summer programme was also available for up to four weeks, with ten hours per week for students with complex special educational needs, where a place on a school-based programme was not available to them. However, a major focus this year is that those children with the most complex needs, especially in special schools, should have access to a school-based summer programme. That is what we want.

This year will see the introduction of a new pilot programme in special schools, which is good. It will be supported by a new national co-ordinator. That will bring a new focus to supporting and further engaging with these schools to help more special schools engage with the programme to support students in their schools during the summer period. However, my Department also hopes to increase the number of all schools offering the summer programme.

Additional steps will be provided to support schools, including support to ease the burden of administration, access to additional workforce availability and, importantly, a new leadership role in schools. This leadership will be available to schools when the details of the programme are announced and this role will be a support for schools with planning and preparation for their own programmes.

Graduate and student teachers can work on the summer programme where they have commenced the registration process with the Teaching Council and certain conditions are fulfilled. Schools will have the flexibility to engage staff who are not currently employed in their schools, including those in the early years and youth sectors or carers to run their summer programme. Other examples of which schools have previously successfully availed include students from therapy, nursing or other healthcare-related disciplines. These will also be supported this year in special schools.

Other enhanced measures from last year will continue to encourage schools' participation, including a centralised application process to reduce the administrative burden on schools, earlier payment of school staff and an additional capitation to cover the running costs of the scheme, as well as enhanced capitation for special schools. Last summer, for the first time, schools were able to submit the details of staff who worked on their programme through an online portal. The first payments issued in July and continued throughout the summer. More than 9,000 staff members were paid by the end of September for their participation in the school-based programme. That was of use from the feedback we had in previous years.

Members will no doubt have seen our announcement last October about this year's programme. The early announcement for 2023 and the further publication of terms for this year's programme in the coming days will afford schools every opportunity and several extra months to plan for this year's summer programme.

I reiterate my commitment to ensuring that the children who need it most have access to this important education initiative. My officials and I will work very hard to see this achieved. I very much look forward to hearing statements from the Members.

An Cathaoirleach Gníomhach (Deputy Bernard J. Durkan)

We seem to be running okay. Deputy Seán Canney is next, followed by Deputies Connolly, Tully, Harkin, Joan Collins, Ó Murchú, Michael Moynihan and Funchion. Deputy Ó Cathasaigh will also speak. Deputy Moynihan has to leave early to catch the train to Cork. I ask Members to keep that in mind while we try to facilitate everybody.

Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú

Deputy Canney should not take ten minutes.

Deputy Seán Canney

I wish I had a train to Tuam. I have to drive. Deputy Lowry was to be here but, unfortunately, he had to go home for a funeral. I wish to record that first.

I thank the Joint Committee on Autism for bringing forward this motion. I thank Deputy Buckley for sponsoring it and Senator Carrigy for his introduction. Members of the committee have seen this first hand. I note some of them are here, including the Chair, Deputy Michael Moynihan, to discuss this very important issue. A parent of a child told me not too long ago, when I was talking to her about the child, that autism is not a disability, but a different ability. We have to educate ourselves on that. It is a different ability.

I welcome the report from the committee. It might set a precedent in that it has come earlier than expected. That is important because, as Senator Carrigy noted, the plan for the summer must be put in place early in order that we can ensure the children who need the summer programme get every opportunity to participate in it. The idea of combining resources from schools to have at least one summer programme in each town or locality is common sense. We need to pool resources and make sure all the services are in place. Planning for that should begin now.

The Minister of State mentioned there has been an increase in the number of services. That is to be commended and welcomed, but we still have people who fall between the cracks during the summer. We heard at first hand from witnesses at the Joint Committee on Disability Matters that families suffered badly during Covid and all that went with it. They have been in a very stressful situation for a long time. We owe it to all families who wish to avail of the summer programme to have a facility available to them. We need to make sure families have certainty about what will happen in good time in order that they can plan their summer and family outings.

I have taken autism on board because I have some relations who have children with autism. I find it great fun talking to them but we should also be doing significant work for children with autism. That motivated me to reintroduce a Bill that the former Minister, Dr. James Reilly, had passed in the Seanad. When I introduced it in the Dáil in October 2021 the Government did not oppose it but asked us to put a stay on it for one year. In October 2022, the Bill passed Second Stage. It is now with the Committee on Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, which is chaired by Deputy Funchion. Some members of the committee are examining whether they need to do scrutiny on the Bill. I have reached out to the committee for a meeting. In that regard, I commend Deputy Funchion. We will have a meeting to discuss how we can progress that Bill as soon as possible, for the simple reason it has been passed in the Seanad and has completed Second Stage in the Dáil. Amendments are obviously required, and we have amendments prepared, but it is important that we enact this legislation which will give power to people and children with autism and have a right enshrined in law. That is important.

The Joint Committee on Autism has done considerable work and rightly so. It will continue to do that work for some months. Without tangible results, that work will be a futile exercise, no more than our own work on the Joint Committee on Disability Matters will be. It is vital we have the discussion on summer provision now, in February, rather than having it in May or June in order that families get certainty.

Deputy Moynihan chaired the meeting of the Joint Committee on Disability Matters this morning. One gets so much information from people, but families have to come out in public and more or less tell us all of their private experiences. It is a bit demoralising that they have to do so. Some of them do it with great courage and conviction, but we are at a stage in society where we should not have to put people through that.

We should have a better understanding ourselves, as elected public representatives, of what is going on.

A mother said to me that this is not a disability but a different ability and that got me thinking in different way about autism, about how we should embrace it and embrace the people who have it. They are precious but they are also very much part of our society and we need to make them equal. The summer provision is a little part of the overall number of cogs that we have to make sure they have a life of fulfilment and engagement and can contribute to society. The families who have appeared before our committee and the autism committee are contributing to society. They are contributing to the future of society for the betterment of everyone by being courageous enough to come in and speak to us. We owe it to them to make sure that we have a good summer offering for them. I have no doubt that will happen but it is important that we start the work now. We must do the necessary preplanning and make sure that any glitches or hitches are sorted out in time so that families can look forward to the summer with enthusiasm and peace of mind and young people can enjoy the summer, because that is what it is all about.

Deputy Catherine Connolly

I welcome the opportunity to take part in this debate and I also welcome the fact that the Minister of State is here this evening. This Oireachtas joint committee was set up specifically to look at autism. I welcome its Chair, Senator Carrigy, to the House and I welcome the committee's report. Senator Carrigy pointed out that the committee has had ten public meetings thus far and the summer programme has arisen consistently as a major issue and a source of frustration for autistic people and their families in many of these meetings. That is also our experience as Deputies and Senators. Senator Carrigy spoke about the powerful contributions at those meetings and highlighted the urgent need for action to ensure that no autistic child is left without a place in their local area in the summer programme of 2023. The summer programme, formerly known as July provision, came into being because a family had to take the State to court to get it established. It is important to remember that. This is all contained in the foreword to the committee's report.

The committee felt it was very important that there would be a debate here in this Chamber and requested that the issues raised in the report and its recommendations be the subject of a debate and action in both Houses of the Oireachtas. That is what is happening now but the background to this is that those on the ground, struggling to cope with various levels of ability among their children, had to put pressure on the committee to ensure that this would happen. We have to keep that in mind all of the time when we stand up here and read from reports.

What were the key issues raised? For the record, one of the key issues was regression over the summer holiday period. It is extremely important to point out that people with serious disabilities need ongoing attendance at different types of school venues and when summer provision fails them, there is regression. This is very upsetting. Another key issue is the strain on carers and families caused by delays in schools confirming participation in the summer programme. The expansion of the cohort to whom the summer programme is available also arose as an issue which especially affected those pupils most in need. The expansion of the programme has meant that those most in need are not having their needs met. It is very important that we say this and look at it more closely. Staffing for the summer programme has been a continuous problem. There is a need for incentives for teachers and special needs assistants, SNAs, to participate in the programme. Other issues include the time allocation for schools to arrange the summer programme, the refusal of some schools to provide the programme, funding and the allocation of same.

All of these issues were teased out at the committee. I want to put some meat on that from a human perspective. As has been outlined, the committee heard powerful contributions from witnesses representing various groups and individuals. I will quote Ms Miriam Jennings, one such witness:

The first thing I would say is that I think everybody here is a very reluctant advocate. We certainly would not choose to be here but we come here because this is our lived experience.

She also stated "We believe, however, that our children's need for a school-based summer programme was not safeguarded." That is very important because the programme was set up for a particular group of people with particular disabilities but when it was expanded, that group lost out. It is important that we highlight that and confirm that it will not happen this year. Ms Jennings argued that no plan was put in place to ensure that complex-needs children, for whom the scheme was set up, would access it and gave some figures to illustrate her point.

Witnesses also expressed their views on home-based tuition, to which the Minister of State referred. While that may well be positive for some families, I want to refer to what some witnesses said in relation to it. They expressed their views on the provision of home-based tuition rather than an in-school summer programme and representatives were united in arguing that the home-based programme falls considerably short of what is required by children with complex needs. At the same meeting, Ms Sarah Murphy, representing special needs schools and classes, stated:

The Department states all the time that one can get a home-based tutor if one cannot get the July provision in school. However, there is so much about being in school, such as getting on the bus and all the minutiae of life that is important to people, both children and adults, who do not really understand because they do not have the intellectual capacity. We build this life for them that they can enjoy and that they can progress in but we have to do it within the boundaries of what works, so introducing lots of new things like a tutor, for example, for home-based provision does not work ...

The point is that home-schooling is trotted out but it is not the answer for a substantial number of children with special needs.

The conclusions of the committee's brief interim report are interesting. This is an interim report and the committee will continue its work, as I understand it. The committee decided to publish an interim report because of the concerns of all its members that everything be put in place for this summer so that we learn from what has been going on over the last few years. I appreciate the efforts of the Department and the Minister of State in relation to reviews but they have not got to grips with the problem that the programme was extended beyond the remit of those for whom it was developed, based on a legal case. I am delighted that the programme can be extended for other deserving cases but we must not lose sight of its necessity for children with complex needs.

The conclusion of the report reads thus:

This brief interim report provides an outline of the rationale behind the action taken by the Joint Committee on Autism in adopting this resolution. The basis for this short report is the urgency of the situation in respect of the Summer Programme 2023, which is referenced in the opening lines...this report draws on the work of the Joint Committee on Autism and the contributions of the witnesses to its work. Moreover, it identifies the origins of the Summer Programme and its essential importance for autistic children and their families.

The committee makes eight recommendations and I ask the Minister to outline in her concluding remarks how many of them have been taken on board by the Department. I did not have her opening statement in front of me when she spoke earlier. Had I obtained a copy, I might have been in a better position to identify which ones have been taken on board. She spoke about a liaison officer and that would seem to represent progress on one of the recommendations. In the time left to me, it is important that I put the recommendations on record.

The first is that, "notwithstanding the positive aspects of expanding the cohort of pupils that may participate in the Summer Programme, priority access to a school-based Summer Programme be given to those with conditions which place them most at risk of regression". The second is that "the Department of Education establishes a dedicated liaison team to provide information and assistance to school boards of management". The committee also recommends that the Department "liaises closely with the boards of management...establishes a protocol whereby the resources of schools can be pooled together...engages with the relevant teachers' and special needs assistants' trade unions to identify and resolve any pay anomalies and any delays in making payment to staff". That seems a most basic requirement - the necessity that staff would get paid on time. The committee also recommends that the Department "expands the range of professions that may participate in the Summer Programme" to include child psychologists, speech and language therapists, occupational therapists, early childcare workers and very importantly, third level students in the final two years of programmes in education, psychology, and therapies such as occupational and speech and language therapy, nursing and medicine.

The final two recommendations state:

That the Department of Education engages with the relevant regulators for the above-named professions and advise them of the opportunities to participate in the Summer Programme.

That the Department of Education, in conjunction with the Garda National Vetting Bureau, resolve any difficulties with vetted staff working in different schools to provide the Summer Programme, while prioritising the safety of children and vulnerable persons.

This is the time to get it right. This is an interim report pending a fuller one. It has clear recommendations, conclusions and identification of the issues on the back of families who are struggling heroically to raise children with a complex range of disabilities as normally as possible. We have the money and the expertise but we also have families who are appealing to us to do it right this year.

Deputy Michael Moynihan

I am not a member of the committee. I am due to attend the National Diversity and Inclusion Awards in Croke Park later this evening. It is due to start at 6.30 p.m.

My one ask is that undergraduates completing third or fourth year of their qualification in occupational therapy, speech and language therapy or physiotherapy be included in the summer programme, which has replaced July provision. They can be Garda vetted. They are going elsewhere for experience but they could get real-life experience within the summer programme. I ask the Minister of State to ensure that happens. Deputy Connolly referred to Garda vetting and that needs to be a priority but there are many people at college who could be paid to work on the summer provision programme. It would be valuable work experience for them and it would help us to ensure there is provision for kids who need it during the summer.

I compliment the committee members on their dedication and the work they have done in a short time. The more we speak about this across parties and at all committees, the more we can do for people with disabilities. I commend the report to the House. I thank Deputy Tully for allowing me in.

Deputy Pauline Tully

No problem. I welcome the report of the committee and its recommendations in respect of the summer programme for 2023. I commend the Chair of the committee, as well as my fellow members. We met many groups and parents who have lived experience of the programme. They told us of the devastation they experienced when their child did not get access to summer provision.

The July provision scheme was established following a High Court ruling in 1993 which set down that children with additional educational need have a right to education and it was established that children with autism and additional educational need experience regression in the summer months. The aim of the scheme was to provide an extended school year for these children so as to reduce potential regression in learning during the summer holidays. The programme was only offered in special schools and schools with special classes. Where an eligible child's school was not offering a programme, funding was provided for parents to engage a teacher to provide tuition in the child's home.

When it was replaced by summer provision and the expanded programme, it was opened up to DEIS schools at primary and post-primary levels. The expansion in eligibility resulted in an increase from 15,000 children in 2019 to 80,000 in 2021. Notwithstanding the positive aspects of expanding the cohort of pupils eligible to participate in the summer programme, no plans were put in place to ensure the children most in need of the programme would retain access to it. The expansion of the programme meant that special schools and schools with special classes had to compete with the additional primary and post-primary DEIS schools for teachers and SNAs. Many teachers and SNAs opt to take part in the home-based programme. That causes additional problems as it reduces even further the pool from which special schools and schools with special classes recruit staff to deliver the programme. This has resulted in many special schools and schools with special classes struggling to find staff for the programme, with the result that many of them have stopped delivering it or reduced the period for which they run it. Priority access must be given to those with conditions that place them most at risk of regression during the summer recess period, and it must be a school-based programme. Department of Education figures from 2021 show that 80% of children in special schools have no access to the programme and less than 5% of the 8,000 children in special schools got the full recommended four weeks. Priority access to the school-based programme is essential for these children as such a programme provides an opportunity for them to be part of a world outside their home and it gives them access to school facilities such as sensory and occupational therapy rooms and secure play areas. The home-based programme promoted by the Department is not an appropriate alternative for children with autism and additional educational needs. The NCSE has stated it is the least effective way to deliver the programme, given that many children with autism and intellectual disabilities cannot cope with and will not tolerate strangers in their home environment.

Information, communication and assistance to parents, school management and staff are also key to addressing issues that would inhibit the ability of schools to proceed with a comprehensive school-based summer programme in 2023. This should include the establishment of a dedicated school liaison team. If that is happening, I welcome it. That person or team could provide information and assistance to school management and staff in providing the programme. The issuing of guidelines as early as possible is crucial. That was cited by schools in previous years as the reason they decided not to participate in the programme.

Early engagement with trade unions is needed to identify and resolve any pay anomalies or delays in making payment to staff, which have previously prevented some personnel from taking part. I have heard of SNAs not receiving payment until December after working for a number of weeks during the summer.

Parents must be kept abreast of new and changing information and the application process must be user-friendly, with assistance in place if needed.

The range of professions eligible for employment in the programme must be extended. It should be open to a range of multidisciplinary professionals, students and trainees, including nurses, doctors, child psychologists, speech and language therapists, occupational therapists, early childcare workers and respite workers. This approach benefits not only the children but also the professionals, who would gain valuable experience. Protocols to pool schools' resources should be put in place to ensure the programme is available in at least one school in each large town.

The Department of Education, in conjunction with the Garda National Vetting Bureau, needs to resolve any difficulties with vetted staff working in different schools to provide the summer programme. Sinn Féin brought forward the National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) (Amendment) Bill 2022 which would assist in this regard as it sets out to provide a register of generalised consents, which can help in situations where multiple vetting applications would otherwise have to be made. It would allow an individual to apply for inclusion on this register and allow multiple organisations to vet the individual in question without the full process having to be completed every time.

To summarise, the most important points are that priority is given to children most in need and that it is made certain that these children have access to the school-based programme.

An issue of which I was made aware today that may impact on the delivery of the school programme is that the Department of Education is proposing key changes to professional development courses which are undertaken by primary school teachers outside of school time. The Department has set out that all online courses must contain eight hours of real-time learning. If this goes ahead, the changes may have a knock-on impact on the delivery of summer provision programmes because many teachers will no longer be in a position to support the programme as they will be completing their professional development courses. There was no consultation with the Irish National Teachers Organisation, INTO, on this. There was no suggestion, or even possibility, of looking at it on a pilot basis and there has been no research produced as evidence to support and ground such changes in the summer course delivery. There is a need for joined-up thinking. We need to make sure the maximum number of teachers, SNAs and other staff are available to take part in the summer programme so that the children who most need it are able to access it.

Deputy Joan Collins

I thank the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Autism, of which I am a member, for pushing for this debate to take place today. I welcome the report on the summer programme produced by the committee.

From her work, the Minister of State will be aware of the background and details of many of the parents and groups, and she will have heard their testimonies at the committee hearings last year on the July provision, or lack thereof. Many of those who needed provision most did not get it. The committee highlighted the urgent need to ensure no autistic child is left without a place in 2023. It agreed that because of the impact on the lives of persons with autism and their families, including the regression and chaos, it was necessary to produce an interim report last November.

Many parents had to take unpaid leave last year, which had a major impact on their already stretched incomes. It is now three months since the report was produced, so it is wise to get an update on where the recommendations stand and ensure problems concerning the implementation of the summer programme will be resolved in the next two to three months. Some schools have stated in advance that they will not be providing the programme in 2023.

The Department of Education's figures for 2021 show 80% of children in special schools had no access to the programme, while fewer than 5% of the 8,000 children in special needs schools got the full four weeks recommended. The committee felt it had a duty of care to children and their families, such that this would not be repeated.

We know what the key issues are. They have been read out already but it is important to go back over them very briefly. They include regression over the summer holiday period; strain on carers and their families; delays in schools confirming participation in the programme; the expansion of the cohort to whom the summer programme is available and targeting pupils most in need of the service; staffing for the summer programme; the need for incentives for teachers and special needs assistants to participate in the programme and for broadening out; the time allocation for schools to arrange for the provision of a summer programme and the supporting of the schools in advance; the refusal of schools to offer the summer programme; ensuring funding available for the programme is available; and the allocation of funding to schools for the programme.

The Minister of State made a point on liaison officers. Will she expand on that when wrapping up? She said 9,000 people working in the summer programme last year got paid by September. The work was done in July. I cannot understand how it takes two months to get paid. Many teachers are not on contracts and generally try to work during the summer, or else they go on social welfare during the summer because they do not get paid. If they do the work and are not paid until September, October, November or December, as Deputy Tully outlined, it has to be addressed. All of these issues have to be ironed out to convince people to get involved in the programme and so they will know they will get paid within two to three weeks.

I want to ask the Minister of State about the recommendations. The first is, "That, notwithstanding the positive aspects of expanding the cohort of pupils that may participate in the Summer Programme, priority access to a school-based Summer Programme be given to those with conditions which place them most at risk of regression during the summer recess period, such as Autism Spectrum Condition." Will the Minister of State tell us how many special schools have committed at this stage to offering a summer programme to the children? We need to find out this detail.

The second recommendation is "That the Department of Education establishes a dedicated liaison team to provide information". The Minister of State said this has not been set up. Maybe the committee could get a report, although probably not tonight, on the schools the liaison officers have attended and the feedback.

The third recommendation is "That the Department of Education liaises closely with the boards of management of special schools to identify and address any issues that would inhibit their ability to proceed with a comprehensive, school-based Summer Programme". Maybe a report could be provided to the committee – again, not here – on whether this has happened. Are there problems? Are there indications that special schools cannot deliver on the programme? What needs to be done to assist such schools?

The fourth recommendation is, "That the Department of Education establish a protocol whereby the resources of schools can be pooled together to ensure that the Summer Programme is made available in at least one school in every large town in the State." That is very important. The resources should be put into the schools but, if they cannot be, the inspectors and liaison officers should know immediately that they must consider the general area and try to get at least one or two schools on board to offer the programme.

The fifth recommendation is, "That the Department of Education engages with the relevant teachers' and special needs assistants' trade unions to identify and resolve any pay anomalies and any delays in making payment to staff." Will the Minister of State revert to us and state she has in place a HR programme that can allow for the making of payments within two or three weeks to those who work in the programme? That would be a huge boost. It would probably get many of the teachers who are not on permanent contracts and who look for work during the summer to buy into the programme. That would be very important.

The sixth recommendation is that the Department of Education should expand the range of professions that may participate in the summer programme to include the likes of child psychologists and speech and language therapists. Will the Minister of State give us an update on that? Has this been approached in respect of children's disability network team members and other workers such as those in occupational therapy and early childhood care, particularly third level students in the final two years? There has been a discussion with the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science on how third level students could play a crucial role in supporting the summer programme. It would give them great educational experience.

The seventh recommendation is, "That the Department of Education engages with the relevant regulators for the above-named professions and advise them of the opportunities to participate in the Summer Programme". Again, if the Minister of State cannot give us the information tonight, she might let the committee know in the next week or so whether engagement with the universities has started.

The eighth recommendation is "That the Department of Education, in conjunction with the Garda National Vetting Bureau, resolve any difficulties with vetted staff working in different schools". That is key. Those concerned should nearly be encouraged now to start. If you are working in one school, you do not need to be revetted to work in a different one. Complications come with that.

These are the sorts of details we need to see coming through this month. We need to see things tied down in April and early May. Will the Minister of State revert to me on these points tonight if she has the information? If not, will she do so in writing?

Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú

I thank the Chairman of the committee, Senator Carrigy, for the report and my colleague Deputy Buckley for sponsoring it. I thank all the members of the committee for the work they have done. In particular, I thank them for the room they have made for me. From time to time, I might have overstepped the line regarding the speaking time I took. I will try not to do that today.

The point of having an autism committee is similar to the one mentioned by Deputy Canney, that is, to ensure we create a space for autistic people that allows for genuine equality and acceptance. We all know of the autism services that are not being provided. Many have spoken about the added cost to parents of autistic children, namely €28,000 per year.

We are talking about expanding summer provision with speech and language therapists, psychologists and occupational therapists. We realise these resources are not where we need them. Therefore, a huge body of work needs to be done. There have been major failings across the board. The expansion of summer provision, while beneficial to some, obviously created a difficulty. In fairness, decent work is being done by the committee in setting out straightforward recommendations. I do not believe there is anyone in this room or beyond who could keep a straight face while arguing against them.

I welcome some of what the Minister of State said about the review.

We just need to make sure the review meets these recommendations and that this service is provided to the children who most need it and who are most in danger of regression. That should be their absolute right within a school setting. We will have to make sure that all of the engagement happens and that we deal with pay and conditions, any anomalies that are created and all the stakeholders. I refer to the schools, the Department and right down to the unions and every individual person. We need to ensure that is done and dusted.

I will be quite honest. My experience of summer provision has been really good. My son, Turlough, who is autistic, got home-based provision for a number of years with two really good teachers. He was then able to get provision in a school setting in St. Joseph's National School. That is even better. It is really beneficial, although it is not without difficulties. From time to time, kids like our Turlough can create huge logistical issues. I had to attend to a constituency issue this morning. I usually miss these things but it became my responsibility to ensure Turlough got to school. I cannot say I got him to school on time. I got him there and I was very frustrated at the end of it. I just about made my first engagement but that might say more about me than it does about Turlough. We all get the difficulties involved but summer provision is really positive and really necessary. We need to make sure it is delivered in the correct setting to those who most need it. We may have to expand the pool of people who can deliver this programme, perhaps to those studying occupational therapy, those who will work in childcare and those studying speech and language therapy. I would like to think a considerable number of people will go through such training in the near future. That needs to happen.

I hope the Minister of State will answer the questions. I will not go through the recommendations again, which are straightforward. The report is a really decent piece of work. I would like to think that the review and the engagement with stakeholders will come up with something very similar, that these things will almost merge and that we can deliver this service, which is required. If Turlough were here now, he would be able to give a much better endorsement than I have. He would probably be far more eloquent as well.

Given that we are under a time constraint, I will move on. I assume the Cathaoirleach Gníomhach will have no difficulty with this, and I hope the Minister of State will not either, but I might deviate slightly. Unfortunately, because of my constituency engagements, Deputies Tully and Ó Laoghaire were required to step into the breach with the Minister of State for me today. We were dealing with the rapid prompting method, RPM, used with autistic people who are non-verbal. The Minister of State met with Fiacre Ryan and his mam, Carmel. I know that she will have been highly impressed, just as I was, with what RPM has done for Fiacre and his family. There is an ask with regard to a pilot scheme and research so that we could look at RPM and any other assistive technologies necessary to facilitate autistic people, particularly those who are non-verbal, for whom many of us would have thought there was unfortunately no help available. We have seen huge strides made in freeing people from what must have been a trap for many over many years. I welcome what the Minister of State said about it not being prohibited for any school to engage in this but we have to do some work on it. I would appreciate it if she would give an answer to that, along with the answers relating to this piece of work.

I hope that these recommendations and the conclusions of the Minister of State's review will be the same and that we can deliver the summer provision that a number of our citizens require.

Deputy Kathleen Funchion

I also pay tribute to the chair of the committee, Senator Carrigy. I can only imagine the number of issues the committee must be dealing with, given the delays in assessment, accessing therapies and everything, so it is great to see such a comprehensive report. It is always great when there is cross-party co-operation and engagement on a committee.

I will focus on three key areas. One is the expansion of the programme to as many students as possible. Some access summer provision in a home setting but my experience is mainly with people accessing it in a school setting and who find it excellent. Access is the key. If children qualify, can they find a space? As has been said by others, home support is given if they cannot get into a school space but the school setting is the best environment for the children and parents alike. It allows the children's routine to continue and prevents regression. It is just different for a lot of kids to be in their own home environment. School presents a different environment. It is good to continue in that setting.

I apologise but I missed the start of the Minister of State's speech. Did she say whether any of these recommendations will be implemented for this summer? We are just into February. We all know that time flies and that, before we know it, we will be into the summer of 2023. I apologise if I missed such a commitment being made but I hope that is what we will see.

My second point is on something Deputy Tully touched on, which is expanding the pool of staff. We need to get a bit more creative in increasing the pool of staff we could tap into. It may not have to only be teachers and SNAs. I do not mean to take away from the very good work they do but we need to start looking at staffing because it is clearly an issue.

There is also the matter of the time allocated for the programme. The maximum time should be given. From all of the studies and research, and anecdotally from parents, we know that children do best when they are in that routine and in that space. Over the years, and particularly during the Covid pandemic, a number of special schools have had significant issues preventing them from providing the programme. Sometimes the reason relates to a lack of staff but we need to call out some schools that refuse to engage in the programme for whatever reason. They just do not seem to want to get involved. We do not want a situation in which schools are forced into this. That would never be a good situation for anybody. However, there needs to be strict criteria. There need to be strict grounds as to why a school does not provide this programme, because it is beneficial.

Again on the staffing element, the recommendations from the committee need to be taken on board. I would like to know whether it will be possible for key elements of this to be in place for this summer because that is crucial. Parents are already battling on many fronts. This is just one small element. They are trying to get a school place, transport to the school, occupational therapy, physiotherapy and speech and language therapy. The same set of parents are fighting all of these individual battles over and over again. It is important for us to secure some of these for this summer and to give that reassurance to parents.

Deputy Marc Ó Cathasaigh

I am delighted to have an opportunity to contribute to the debate. I thank the chair of the committee, Senator Carrigy, and I thank Deputy Buckley for moving the motion. The committee took the decision to issue an interim report because it was important that enough lead-in time be given for the recommendations laid out in the report to be implemented ahead of this summer. I echo what Senator Carrigy said about the Business Committee expediting the matter and allowing for a longer debate than is normal on a Thursday evening because many Deputies were looking to make a contribution on it.

I would like to pull back and take more of a wide-lens view of what has happened with July provision, which is now summer provision. The fact of the matter is that the programme has expanded and changed over time. It was initially devised to mitigate regression for children with special educational needs, SEN, and also served as a form of respite for parents of these children. That was entirely appropriate as the first staging point. Different elements have been added to it in the interim such as an opportunity for DEIS schools to provide summer camps, the HSE-led range of summer camps catering for up to 1,200 children with complex needs and, just last year, that provision for Ukrainian kids. All of those are welcome and it is no harm at all that we have a programme that has now become multi-stranded and multifaceted. However, there is a need to refocus and reconsider what it is that we really want to get out of the summer programme for all of those strands and also to make sure we are not missing out, particularly on that most vulnerable cohort for whom the original programme was designed. There has been an expansion in the numbers from 15,000 in 2019 to 80,000 in 2021. There has been a massive expansion in the programme. We can expect that there will be a need to refocus. The power of this report may be to force us to draw breath, to look again at the programme and make sure we are achieving the original goals and, as we have added strands, to determine whether we are catering as we should to the people who have been brought into the net.

Senator Carrigy said one thing that I disagree with. He said that the parents who have been in to this committee have fought tirelessly. They are tired, really, are they not, when we think about it? The parents who have had to come in and give their testimony to this committee have really had to delve into their personal life experiences and have had to fight again and again with a system to access resources and services for their children. They have not fought tirelessly. They have fought relentlessly, for sure, but they are tired. I can well understand it.

The original purpose of this programme had that respite element in it. It is important. I am an educationalist by training and background and I am going to talk a little bit about how we should be focusing on the curriculum of what we want to achieve in the summer programme. That respite element is so important and should not be underestimated. I am going to read a quote from Miriam Jennings, who came and spoke before the committee:

The pressure on the child, parents, siblings and extended family is immense. [That reference to siblings and extended family is something we often forget.] There are no summer camps, playdates or family holidays during the nine or 13 weeks away from school. The long break causes an increase in the number of episodes of sensory overload, a regression in skills and a greater incidence of anxiety, self-injurious behaviours, aggression towards parents and siblings, destructive outbursts and absconding. When a child is regressing and losing the ability to cope, this puts a strain on families trying to support him or her. Family relationships come under immense pressure.

We cannot understate that. It is not a bottomless well that these people draw their courage and energy from. It is difficult to be a parent of a child who might have additional needs. It is difficult to be a sibling of a child who has those additional needs. We have heard that at the committee. It is often one of the great unspokens. The brothers and sisters within those families often find it difficult to say that. It is important for everybody within the family group that this is in place.

We may have lost a little bit of focus on what summer provision should do because of the expansion of the programme. That is an important part. We should be looking towards what it is we want to achieve within the summer programme. We want to avoid regression, keep people in routines they are used to, and provide that valuable respite for parents and families. What else? It is surely not the exact same curriculum that is being delivered week in, week out, or is it? In my opinion it should not be. It is summertime for everybody involved. Are we giving any sort of clear guidance and instruction to those schools that are trying to provide a summer programme and summer provision about what they should be covering during that period? If we think about those multiple strands that we have in place, maybe we need to be giving a clear delineation between the strands.

We should also think about access to therapeutics. It is an opportunity, even in the context of the school buildings. For example, I visited Bunscoil Gleann Sidheáin in Cappoquin. In the normal run of events it has two classrooms that cater for the autistic children who attend there. During the summertime there is actually much more freedom in terms of the built environment, access to the green spaces, the hall and so on. They are not in competition with the other classes in the school. Is there an opportunity during that period to get access to therapeutics in a more meaningful way? Others in the House have talked about the range of skills we could bring in, maybe people who are training for this, want to have the experience and are bringing a different range of skills into the mix. Given the massive and welcome expansion in the programme over the past number of years, maybe it is an opportunity to draw breath and look again at the objectives we want to achieve here.

I would not be happy with myself if I did not draw attention to one aspect here that we do not discuss enough. That is teachers' energy, teachers' burnout and principals. When we are asking schools to run summer provision, we are asking teachers who have had a long year going from September to the end of June. I have done it myself many years and they fall across the line on 30 June and need to recharge their own batteries as they have had a tough year. It is the same with principals. I do not know how teaching principals keep going when they do two jobs for one-and-a-bit times the pay. They only begin their second job when all the children have gone home. We have to provide support into the schools as well. It is so important that we start the planning process now. That is one of the reasons I really welcome the interim report. We also have to resolve the pay issue. The Minister of State mentioned the online portal and that did substantially improve things last year, but there is a little bit of a hangover. There were teachers and special needs assistants who engaged previously in summer provision and did not see a paycheck arrive until maybe December and were put off as a result. We have a little bit of work to do in terms of remediating that to invite those people back in and assure them that those teething issues have been dealt with.

All in all, it is a very coherent report. It is short and to the point. I hope it is going to give the Minister of State something to consider in providing for summer provision this year. I thank the other members of the committee and in particular the committee chairperson for bringing the report forward.

Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh

I too want to thank Senator Carrigy for his work and indeed Deputy Buckley. Senator Carrigy is welcome to the House. It is fitting that he is here on such an important subject. I have gone through the report. There is some really good stuff in it and I commend the work of the committee. I thank all the parents from Mayo who contacted me to say how important it was that I be here this evening and that the report be implemented. There are massive expectations around what it is going to mean for them and their children and, rightly said, for siblings of autistic children as well. That is what we are all here for.

While I am here, I want to mention the great work of Mayo Autism Camp, not least because I am missing a really important event they had today in launching their autism resource fair, which is taking place on 1 March in the McWilliam Park Hotel. They do really good work, both Colette and Elisha from Mayo Autism Camp. The Minister of State might have met them last week when she was in Mayo.

I welcome that she was in Mayo and I know she met many of the parents and children to whom this report and the full implementation of it will mean an awful lot. I know too the Minister of State met Robbie, the 13-year-old boy who has been without education for many months. These cases help to remind us of the human beings who are behind this, be they the young people, the children or the parents, and it reminds us of why we need to make it work.

I noted that the report looked at the Maltese model and what they do in summer provision there. In Malta, eight weeks is provided and the report detailed how the programme is provided. Elaine Jenkins of the special needs school classes highlighted this programme, which is an interesting one, but we are a wealthy country so there should be no reason whatsoever we could not provide for our children what is provided for children in Malta. The most notable thing about that example is that it is equitable. Every child gets the summer programme for eight weeks and that is what we should be aiming for here, for all the reasons that are outlined in this report and that others spoke about.

I commend and recommend to the Ministers of State the work of Amanda McGuinness. Many of those here will have heard of her. She was diagnosed as autistic when she was 39, she has three autistic children and she does wonderful work. There is a good YouTube video where she explains her story and she is good at helping us all to understand better the needs of autistic people and autistic young people. I commend her work. She is a fantastic woman and she has done a lot to help us to understand better.

We are speaking about summer provision and the number of parents who are forced each year to take up private therapeutic interventions and access private care services. Above any other year, this year people are loaded down with bills and the cost-of-living crisis we are going through. It makes it even more urgent that the recommendations in this report are implemented because we cannot have a situation where parents are forced to take unpaid leave from work and where siblings might be forced to take unpaid leave from work as well to fill in the gaps. We need to be mindful of that.

We all hear from parents of the one commonality, which happened during Covid as well, namely, how their young people regressed. They regressed in maths and reading, if they did those subjects, and they regressed in their social skills. That regression is not only deeply unfair to the person involved and to the parents but also to us in building up the capacity of children and young people and helping them to fulfil their potential. If they continue to regress, it will take longer for them to fulfil their potential. We need to be mindful of that and to ensure it does not happen.

I noted that the Minister of State, Deputy Madigan, said everybody should get a place. I would love to hear it said that everybody must get a place. I know the Minister of State is doing everything she can to get that done. It is very important that schools are given the resources. It is also important somebody is accountable and somebody states what has to happen, asks what is needed to make it happen, and offers to provide the resources to make it happen. It is not good enough to ask parents whether they have the option of home tuition because that is not suitable for everybody and sometimes I feel it is a get-out clause. That should not be used when we know the benefits of social interaction for children and young people. They are unquantifiable in many ways.

I will go back to where I started in terms of the expectations of parents. I hope the recommendations the committee worked so hard to have documented in this report are implemented in order that they will make a difference to the lives of the people we are all here to support.

Minister of State at the Department of Health (Deputy Anne Rabbitte)

I thank the Minister of State for giving me this opportunity. I was not scheduled to contribute but I was listening to the debate and I decided to do so. I thank Senator Carrigy for the work he and the Committee and Autism have done on this interim report. I thank Deputy Buckley for sponsoring the motion and giving me this opportunity.

There is a lot of good work and there are a lot of positive suggestions within the report. This is a case of the Government, across Departments, wanting and willing to work together. It does not all fall within the responsibility of the Department of Education. There is a role within the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth in supporting the home support part of it.

I also commend all the parents and the representative organisations that came before the committee and shared with it. While it is a child-centred approach, Deputy Ó Cathasaigh is correct in saying there are families there, including other brothers and sisters, throughout that long period of summer. I have a vision that we can all work together and that we can achieve the goal the committee's report has set out. There is a role here for the Department of Health, the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth and the HSE.

In the meantime, I will be trying to put regional respite in place. I was sharing with the Minister of State the idea of children who, during the summer provision, will have the opportunity to attend a regional respite house, whether it be equine-based or sport-based. We will have therapists in those houses to assist and complement the summer provision the report has laid out for us. I thank the Minister of State.

Minister of State at the Department of Education (Deputy Josepha Madigan)

I echo what the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte has said and I appreciate her support. I commend Senator Carrigy on his work and Deputy Buckley on sponsoring the motion. I thank both of them for their contributions and I thank Deputies Canney, Connolly, Michael Moynihan, Tully, Joan Collins, Ó Murchú, Funchion, Ó Cathasaigh and Conway-Walsh. I have taken a note of everything they have said, as has an official from the Department, along with taking note of the report. We will be looking at all of it in detail.

I will respond briefly to some of the issues that have been brought up. We want the recommendations put in place for this summer. That is what we are endeavouring to do. I have addressed all of the recommendations in some form or manner. We are introducing a specific special school programme this year as a pilot initiative so that we can have a real focus on supporting these schools in a new way. We are also introducing the new summer programme co-ordinator role, which will operate at a national level to support special schools in finding solutions. That national co-ordinator will work with schools to facilitate arrangements that are needed.

On the school day itself, for special schools in particular we got feedback from both parents and schools that the school day would be reduced from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The staff, however, will be paid for the full day. This recognises the challenges that are associated with running the programme in a special school, including break times and transport concerns. That feedback will encourage schools to do more weeks and to participate. The available workforce will also be critical to the success of the programme and a portal will be available for teachers and SNAs to register their interest in working on a school-based programme in a special school. That workforce portal will be advertised in our universities and it will be promoted through education partners. In another first, where a child's special school is not running a school-based programme, another portal will be available that will allow parents to register their children’s details so that, if a place becomes available in another location, their participation in a programme may be organised.

Across the summer programme more broadly, many developments have been undertaken, including extensive consultations. We have introduced a theme for the first time this year, which will have an emphasis on creativity, fun and learning activities, and that will be inviting for students and staff alike.

On preparation hours, a dedicated school organiser role will be in each school that is offering the summer programme. That should also assist. There will be enhanced levels of information sharing and training, which should help with the transitioning arrangements. There will also be one programme this year for mainstream primary schools to replace the previous special classes and inclusion programmes in order that there will be one cohesive programme instead of separate ones.

Garda vetting was mentioned a couple of times. As Deputies know, the summer programme was announced much earlier this year and the new organiser role in schools can address the vetting issue. The school will be able to apply for Garda vetting earlier to ensure that it is completed before the programmes run in schools. It is to be hoped that will also help. I will also have ongoing engagement with the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, and the Minister for Justice, Deputy Harris, regarding the CDNTs, which were also brought up.

On EPVs, it is important to say that schools have flexibility, when designing the summer programme, to hold it at a time that best suits parents and staff. That is one of the main reasons it is not called the July programme. A few people mentioned the July provision as opposed to the summer programme. It is called the summer programme in order that there is flexibility for schools to hold it in July, August or, in some cases, June. It need not necessarily be just July. The Department is providing funding to schools to allow them to appoint a staff member to co-ordinate and design the summer programme from an earlier stage to maximise participation. It is intended that such co-ordination will mean schools can avoid times when staff may wish to access CPD courses.

In addition to existing staff in schools who can work on the summer programme, the Department is also facilitating arrangements for other staff to be available this year. These staff include early childcare workers and students in a variety of related disciplines, including speech and language therapy, occupational therapy and social care. The CPD courses are of two weeks duration. The new requirement will be for eight hours of synchronous provision per online course. Some 40% of the total hours can be spread across a number of different modules. The remaining 60% of the hours can be done when the teacher wishes. The Department is aware that the revisions mean changes in how the online CPD courses are run, both for course providers and the teachers attending them. The Department is engaging with providers to listen to the concerns they have raised.

A Deputy asked me about how many special schools may be participating. The scheme is not launching until next week so no school has registered yet. The registration portal will open very soon and the national co-ordinator will be reaching out to all special schools. If there are issues, we will look at local arrangements between schools.

I again thank the committee for the comprehensive body of work that has been put into this report by all committee members and Deputies. I appreciate the fact it was stated that this is a cross-party issue and, to a certain extent, a non-political issue. Even though we are all politicians, we all have the best interests of children and people with autism at heart. The summer programme is not just about children with autism; it is also for disadvantaged children and migrant communities, including Ukrainians, who were mentioned and were largely able to be assisted last year, which was of great benefit to them in their integration into Irish communities. I again thank all Members. I will take the interim report's recommendations very seriously. We will revert to Deputies in due course.

Deputy Pat Buckley

I will make a very quick comment. I thank everybody across the House. I enjoyed listening to their contributions and I welcome the comments of the Ministers of State. I will put on the record, and the committee is very proud of this - Senator Carrigy was the driving force behind it - that Leinster House is now in the process of becoming autism friendly. I thank everybody in the Houses, including staff, management and so on, for that. I hope the Minister of State, Deputy Madigan, takes on the report's recommendations. I love what the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, said about this matter being cross-departmental. That is the way it should be. The Committee on Autism is cross-party. It is a proud day for everybody that this is a step forward and is progressive. I will give Senator Carrigy the rest of the time and the spotlight in the show.

Senator Micheál Carrigy

I thank the Deputy. I thank the Deputies for their contribution to this important debate. I also thank the Minister of State, Deputy Madigan, for the commitment she has given on behalf of the Government that changes will be made. I also welcome the comments of the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte. The fact that both Ministers of State are in the House debating the issue, in addition to giving a commitment to implement the strong recommendations in our report, sends out a very strong signal to parents. That is very significant for parents.

I am conscious that many Deputies, including me, are very passionate about autism services for many personal reasons. Many of them will have autistic people in their families and will be acutely aware of the difficulties they face in trying to access the services they require. Many, if not all, have been contacted by a great number of families regarding difficulties in accessing services for children and adults, whether these are school places, therapies or summer provision. I greatly appreciate that this debate has taken place.

I am especially grateful to the parents and families who have campaigned tirelessly to have their voices and those of their children heard in the House. I am also grateful to Deputies for listening. It is essential for us as legislators, especially the Government, to now act on the contributions made by parents and to adopt the report's recommendations. I repeat that I welcome the commitment that has been given by the Minister of State, Deputy Madigan, on behalf of the Government. While this report was published in response to the frustrations experienced by autistic children and their parents in trying to access the programme, it is also important to address the issues raised in the report and to look to the future with positivity following the comments and the commitment given by both Ministers of State.

These recommendations, when acted upon, will benefit autistic children and their families in the present but will also amount to an invaluable investment in their futures. This is about the future of these children. These recommendations, when adopted, will also provide our future teachers, therapists and psychologists with the privilege of working with children with special educational needs and witnessing their development first-hand. It is also important to note and acknowledge, as Deputy Ó Cathasaigh said, the work of the principals, teachers and SNAs in all the schools, including special schools, mainstream schools and special classes. We are extremely grateful for the work that they do.

I will put on record that it should not be repeated that only 40 out of more than 130 special schools provided a summer programme in 2022. I ask the principals to start planning now, with the support that will be announced, as the Minister of State, Deputy Madigan, said, over the next number of days. New plans are being put in place. We should start planning for summer 2023 to increase that number and get to a situation where it is the norm that every single special school has a school-based programme. That is what we need to work towards.

I will pick up on a point made by Deputy Ó Murchú regarding RPM. Those of us on the committee, when young Fiacre Ryan, his mother Carmel and his family attended a meeting, know that Fiacre gave one of the most powerful opening statements that will ever be read into the record of the Houses. It is an issue for the committee that it wants to see an RPM trial started in a school. I know of a school in my area where parents are fund-raising. I am attending a fund-raising event on Saturday week to help them to bring in a clinician to teach staff in the school to allow children who are non-verbal to have their voices heard.

I will read a couple of lines from young Fiachre's opening statement. He said:

I’m afraid of people who feel that people with autism are less than others. I am speaking for all who are hidden in a world of outside shadows, waiting to be heard, waiting to be accepted.

In his book, he writes: "Try to see past the autism and realise we are the same as others". We have a method that we can use to help non-verbal children, and it needs to be supported in schools throughout the country.

I am grateful for the work put into the report by my fellow committee members. I thank them for their dedication to the committee. I look forward to our continued co-operation as we work towards publishing our final report. As has been said by a number of Members, there is cross-party support in respect of this matter. We work very well together to make sure we are working in the interests of the children and their families.

I am grateful to the witnesses who contributed to our deliberations, including the many teachers and special needs assistants who work to provide a successful programme for autistic children and children with special educational needs. It has been a particular privilege for me to work with the autistic community and their families on the report and on the work of the committee in general. Their support, insights and contributions informed the report and will also inform our final report. On my behalf and that of the committee, I thank all those who contributed to producing the report and to this debate. I commend the report to the House.

Question put and agreed to.

An Cathaoirleach Gníomhach (Deputy Bernard J. Durkan)

That is a very satisfactory and successful conclusion to a very important debate. I thank all concerned.

Cuireadh an Dáil ar athló ar 8.02 p.m. go dtí 2 p.m., Dé Céadaoin, an 8 Feabhra 2023.

The Dáil adjourned at 8.02 p.m. until 2 p.m. on Wednesday, 8 February 2023.