Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 13 June 2023
583. Deputy James Lawless asked the Minister for Education if she can offer some support to a neuro-divergent child (details supplied) who has limited educational opportunities; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28082/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Departments Home Tuition Grant Schemes provide funding towards the provision of a compensatory educational service for children who, for a number of specific reasons, are unable to attend school. By its nature, it is intended to be a short term intervention.
The Home Tuition Grant Schemes are governed by annual circulars which sets out the purpose, eligibility criteria and details of the scheme. Circular 0024/2023 provides information in relation to the 2023/2024 Home Tuition Grant Scheme and can be accessed by clicking on the following link: gov.ie - Home Tuition Grant Scheme 2023/2024 Special Education Component (www.gov.ie)
The purpose of the Home Tuition Grant Scheme is to provide funding towards the provision of a compensatory educational service for:
(a) Early educational intervention for children with autism who meet the scheme’s eligibility criteria
(b) Students with special educational needs seeking an educational placement in a recognised school
(c) Students, enrolled in schools, with a significant medical condition, or school phobia and/or associated depression/anxiety, which has caused, and is likely to continue to cause, major disruption to their attendance at school
In exceptional cases the Department will consider home tuition applications on behalf of students with diagnoses of school phobia and/or associated depression/anxiety which has caused, and is likely to continue to cause, major disruption to their attendance at school. This exception will only apply where a continued absence from school is required to facilitate appropriate medical or therapeutic intervention with a view to the reintegration of the student in their school.
In relation to applications in respect of students with diagnoses of school phobia and/or associated depression/anxiety, the principle that home tuition cannot be provided as an alternative to school applies.
Eligibility in exceptional cases is assessed having regard to, although not limited to, the following criteria:
- The student’s attendance levels during the previous school year.
- Psychologist’s/psychiatrist’s report which should
i. Clearly confirm a diagnosis of school phobia and/or associated depression/anxiety.
ii. Provide details of medical or therapeutic intervention plans in place with a view to reintegrate the student back into his/her school.
- Details of engagement with the relevant support agencies (e.g. School, National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS), Education Welfare Officer (EWO), Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), TUSLA (Child and Family Agency), HSE, NCSE).
The Department of Education also has an important role to play in supporting the wellbeing and mental health of our young people. The Department’s Wellbeing Policy and Framework for practice has given recognition to the importance of promoting wellbeing in education. It outlines a comprehensive, whole-school approach to the promotion of wellbeing and positive mental health. It focuses on the whole school community, as well as groups and individual young people with identified needs.
My Department's National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) provides a comprehensive psychological service to all primary and post primary schools. NEPS is a school-based service which means that all its psychologists work in schools with children, young people, teachers and parents, and are involved with school-related work, every day. The NEPS psychologist provides a range of services that may include supporting the wellbeing and inclusion of an individual pupil, through assessment and intervention. NEPS supports approximately 8000 individual children annually through this type of work. NEPS work also supports teachers in their work through providing professional learning opportunities, such as about trauma informed approaches, supporting autistic children, or delivering the Friends for Life programmes to help reduce anxiety. NEPS supports an estimated 25,000 teachers annually in this way.
The Department – through NEPS, Student Support Teams, Guidance Counsellors and other services - will also continue to signpost schools and students to the HSE/HSE-funded e-mental health services. The Department has built strong links with the Department of Health and both Departments are exploring ways to improve supports for young people, including around increased awareness, promoting help-seeking behaviour and sign-posting to the wide range of available services. We will continue to collectively explore ways of improving supports for children and young people.
iScoil, which is a registered charity, currently jointly funded by the Presentation Sisters and the Department of Education. The provision provided by iScoil funded by the Department is for educational supports who are eligible for, or are currently in receipt of, support under the medical strand of the Special Education Home Tuition Grant Scheme. The Department has increased funding to iScoil to increase the number of places available in this school year from 80 to 120. Specifically the cohort of children whose medical assessment indicates school phobia may be regarded as suited to this type of intervention.
iScoil is an autonomous online learning community which has developed a model of learning that, in its own terms, is flexible, adaptive, innovative and inclusive, where young people who are out of school can re-engage in learning with the help of digital technologies and a personalized approach to learning online.
iScoil works with students aged from 13 to 16 who have been out of school for 6 months or more and their work focusses on achieving progression in order to enable them to go back to school. iScoil is registered under Section 14 of the Educational (Welfare) Act 2000 as a provider of education to certain children receiving education in places other than a recognised school.
Places are available only to those referred to iScoil by Tusla Education Support Service (TESS) Educational Welfare Officers (EWO’s) and not the Department of Education.
Young people are referred to iScoil based on the following criteria:
- They are between the ages of 13-16
- They have a diagnosis of school phobia, anxiety and or associated depression.
- They are out of mainstream education for a minimum of 6 months
- Other interventions have not worked
- They have not completed the Junior Certificate
- They are not pursuing state exams
TESS guidelines for referrals to iScoil note that the standard model of Home Tuition delivery should be considered as the first option where a young person is unable to attend school due to anxiety/mental health issues.
To date, no application for Home Tuition has been received by my Department in respect to the child referred to by the Deputy.
