Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 18 December 2018
189. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if a review pertaining to the reduction in paperwork requirements for special schools, particularly the personal pupil plans when requesting one extra SNA, will be implemented. [52764/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible for allocating a quantum of Special Needs Assistant (SNA) support for each school annually taking into account the assessed care needs of children qualifying for SNA support enrolled in the school.
The NCSE allocates SNA support to schools in accordance with the criteria set out in Department 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. As stated in the Circular, when an application for support is being made, it is important to ensure, by way of the Personal Pupil Plan (PPP), that the school has a clear plan for how the support will be utilised and the timeframe for which it is expected to be required.
A new model of allocation of SNA support is currently being considered by my Department. The Comprehensive Review of the Special Needs Assistant Scheme, published by the NCSE on 30 May 2018, has recommended the development of a frontloaded model for allocating SNA support to schools for children with special educational needs who have additional care needs.
The introduction of such a model of allocation would reduce, and in many cases eliminate, the need for individual applications and professional assessments in order to access resources. In the interim, there are no plans to change the application process criteria.
