Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 13 May 2021
107. Deputy Alan Farrell asked the Minister for Education if speech and language therapists among others are being directly recruited by the National Council for Special Education; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24883/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe NCSE Comprehensive Review of the SNA Scheme, published in May 2018, found that the SNA Scheme, as then currently configured, worked well in meeting the needs of younger children and students for whom it was originally designed, and is greatly valued by parents, students and schools, however, it was found to be less effective for older primary and post-primary students.
The review recommended a new school inclusion model where the response by the State to the additional care needs for students in our schools would be broadened and better tailored to individual needs to include both health therapeutic and education supports.
On 12th February 2019, Government approved the trialing of a new School Inclusion Model (SIM) for the 2019/20 school year in the CHO7 area of West Dublin, Kildare, and West Wicklow.
The SIM pilot was disrupted with the closure of schools as a result of COVID-19 from March to September 2020 and again in January 2021. The HSE therapists who had been working in schools as part of the School Inclusion Model were reassigned from the schools in March 2020 and they were redeployed to other priority related work in the health services, including supporting the testing and tracing regime for COVID-19.
As the provision of in school therapy service is a fundamental and integral part of the School Inclusion Model (SIM), the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) was given sanction to recruit up to 31 speech and language, and occupational therapists, to support the continuation of this project in a government decision of July 2020.
Budget 2021 allocated funding for the expansion of SIM to two new areas for the 2021/22 school year. Planning for the resumption and expansion of SIM is currently underway now that schools have fully reopened.
