Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 22 November 2016
217. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Education and Skills the level of special needs assistant support allocated to a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36152/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraI wish to advise the Deputy that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE), which is an independent statutory agency, is responsible, through its network of Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs), for processing applications from schools for special educational needs supports, including SNA support.
The NCSE allocates SNA support to schools in accordance with the criteria set out in my Department's Circular 0030/2014, which is available on my Department's website at www.education.ie, in order that students who have care needs can access SNA support as and when it is needed.
Responsibility for deciding on the quantum of educational supports and resources to be allocated to schools to support individual pupils rests with the NCSE.
It should be noted that SNA allocations are not made to individual children, but are made to schools to support the care needs of children with assessed special educational needs in the school.
Once an allocation of SNA support has been made to a school, it is a matter for the school to utilise and deploy that support within the school in order to provide for the care needs of qualifying pupils within the school.
Where a school or parent wishes to appeal the level of SNA support allocation which has been made to them, they may do so through the NCSE appeal process, details of which are set out at www.ncse.ie.
All schools have the contact details of their local SENO. Contact details are also available on the NCSE website. The local SENO is also available to discuss any concerns that parents have about the present or future educational needs of their child.
