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Home Tuition Scheme Administration

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 17 September 2019

Tuesday, 17 September 2019

Ceisteanna (191, 192)

Niamh Smyth

Ceist:

191. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason children better suited to a home tuition programme and engaging in same are being removed from this setting against their parents wishes and placed into units (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37154/19]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Niamh Smyth

Ceist:

192. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Education and Skills if policies (details supplied) will be reviewed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37155/19]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

The policy of this Department is that all children with Special Educational Needs, including those with Autism, can have access to an education appropriate to their needs, preferably in school settings through the primary and post primary school network.

Such placements facilitate access to individualised education programmes which may draw from a range of appropriate educational interventions, delivered by fully qualified professional teachers, with the support of Special Needs Assistants and the appropriate school curriculum.

This policy has been informed by published research, including the Report of the Task Force on Autism (2001), the Evaluation of Educational Provision for Children with Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD) (2006) and National Council for Special Education (NCSE) policy advice on Supporting Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (2016).

The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has a statutory function to plan and co-ordinate the provision of education and support services to children with special educational needs. The NCSE works with families and schools to ensure that advance planning is in place so that schools in an area can, between them, cater for all children who have been identified as needing special class placements.

The NCSE has a national network of Special Educational Needs Officers (SENOs) to assist and advise parents experiencing difficulty finding a suitable school place for their child.

Where the NCSE SENO confirms that there is no suitable school place available for a child, my Department can provide Home Tuition Grant funding towards a compensatory educational service for the child until a school placement is available.

By its nature, the grant is intended to be a short term intervention and should not be regarded as an optional alternative to a school placement.

The Home Tuition grant will not available where the NCSE confirm that an available placement has been identified to Parents.

Failure to enrol a child in an identified placement will not give rise to eligibility under the scheme.

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