Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 13 April 2017
114. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason a sensory processing disorder is not recognised as an assessed disability or medical condition that qualifies for access to SNA support; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18962/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraSpecial Needs Assistant (SNA) support is provided specifically to assist recognised primary, post primary and special schools to cater for the care needs of pupils with disabilities in an educational context, where the nature of these care needs have been outlined in professional reports as being so significant that a pupil will require adult assistance in order to be able to attend school and to participate in education.
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. The Circular provides details of the primary care needs for which SNA support will usually be provided and details the types of secondary care associated tasks which SNAs may often perform.
The NCSE allocates a quantum of SNA support for each school annually, taking into account the additional care needs of all of the qualifying children enrolled in the school, and on the basis of the assessed care needs of all the children concerned. The deployment of SNAs within schools is then a matter for the individual Principal/Board of Management. SNAs should be deployed by the school in a manner which best meets the care support requirements of the children enrolled in the school for whom SNA support has been allocated. It is a matter for schools to allocate support as required, and on the basis of individual need, which allows schools flexibility in how the SNA support is utilised.
Where a school wishes to appeal the SNA 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.
