I propose to take Questions Nos. 379 and 380 together.
I would like to thank the Deputy for the question and for the opportunity to set out the background to the process as it applies in schools.
The Assessment of Need (AON) process is provided for under the Disability Act 2005 and is under the remit of the Health Service Executive (HSE). Following a court ruling in October 2021 there is now a legal obligation on the education system to assist the HSE as part of the HSE’s Assessment of Need Process (AON).
Assessment Officers working under the remit of the HSE are charged with organising the Assessment of Need. The Assessment Officer coordinates and completes the Assessment Report and makes the determination as to whether or not a child or young person meets the definition of disability contained in the Act.
If the HSE Assessment Officer forms the opinion that there may be a need for an education service to be provided to an applicant, they will request the NCSE to nominate a person with the appropriate expertise to assist in carrying out the assessment of education needs. Where the child is enrolled in a school the Education of Persons with Special Education Needs Act (EPSEN) 2004 names the principal as the person the NCSE should contact.
My Department and the NCSE have worked intensively to ensure that the process put in place to support the educational component of the AON fulfils legal obligations and is one that is rooted in existing assessment practices in schools.
The educational component of the AON process refers to assessment of education needs. Assessment in education is an everyday practice in schools which results in the identification of a child’s education need and the measures required to address these needs.
Identification of education needs, therefore, is central to the way schools operate. Schools provide for the inclusion and participation of all students and provide an education which is appropriate to a student’s abilities and needs.
This aligns with the obligations on schools arising from the Education Act 1998. They use a range of assessment practices as part of the Continuum of Support process. The Continuum of Support framework enables the school to identify, address and review progress in meeting the academic, social and emotional needs of the pupil, as well as other education needs.
Schools have been provided with a range of resources to ensure that the education needs of all students, including those with a disability or other special education needs, are identified and supported. The Department of Education issued Guidelines for Primary and Post-Primary schools (2017) to assist them in identifying and providing for the special education and learning needs of students.
Information derived from the schools’ assessments in education are recorded in a ‘Student Support Plan’. In line with best educational practice, the Student Support Plan details a student’s education needs as identified by the school as well as the measures put in place to address these needs. The information contained in the Student Support Plan is used in completing the educational component of the AON form which is returned to the HSE via the NCSE.
In finalising the AON process, there has been extensive consultation with the education partners and with individual schools. I am very grateful to all those who contributed to this process, particularly the 80 schools that assisted in trialling the process and in providing detailed feedback on the guidance documents and resources put in place to support the process. I do not consider it appropriate to identify these schools. This process was completed in December 2022 and feedback from the schools involved and stakeholders has been incorporated into the documents issued to schools.
The Department of Education and the NCSE have put in place comprehensive supports to assist schools in completing the educational component of the HSE’s AON process. These include:
A guidance document which provides step by step instructions for the completion of the AON form
- A short video which provides instructions for the completion of the AON form
- Dedicated email support from the NCSE
- Dedicated phone support from NCSE advisors
- An FAQ document which will be updated regularly
- Completed exemplars for different school settings
Where schools require additional support to that already listed, they can request an in-person support visit from an NCSE advisor to assist in the completion of the AON form.
The Department is committed to monitoring the impact of the AON process on schools and will formally review this at the end of the current school year. This review will ensure that any additional guidance, support or resource that is required will be put in place at the earliest possible opportunity. The education stakeholders will be invited to participate in this review process.
In the interim, my Department and NCSE will work with the education stakeholders to ensure that schools are supported as outlined above to complete the AON process.
