Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 17 January 2024
550. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Education if, in line with Action 30 of the Autism Committee’s Final Report, she currently provides, or has plans to provide, funding and guidelines to all schools building new premises to ensure that they are built in line with the principles of universal design; and the estimated first and full-year cost, respectively, to implement this proposal. [57276/23]
Amharc ar fhreagra551. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Education if, in line with Action 31 of the Autism Committee’s Final Report, she will provide funding and guidelines to all schools to undertake an audit of their buildings with the aim of making them autism-friendly; and the estimated first and full-year cost, respectively, to implement this proposal. [57277/23]
Amharc ar fhreagra552. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Education if, in line with Action 32 of the Autism Committee’s Final Report, she will outline the plans she has to reduce class sizes to allow teachers the opportunity to better observe the development of pupils, and to reduce distraction and distress for autistic pupils in overcrowded classrooms; and the estimated first and full-year cost, respectively, of reducing the average class size by one, two and three pupils. [57278/23]
Amharc ar fhreagra553. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Education if, in line with Action 33 of the Autism Committee’s Final Report, she will engage with the National Council for Special Education to develop a long-term plan to synthesise mainstream and special educational provision in line with the UNCRPD. [57279/23]
Amharc ar fhreagra554. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Education if, in line with Action 34 of the Autism Committee’s Final Report, she plans to ensure that children in special classes, autism classes and special schools can participate in mainstream educational classes to end the practice of segregation based on neurotype. [57280/23]
Amharc ar fhreagra555. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Education if, in line with Action 35 of the Autism Committee’s Final Report, she has plans to update continuing professional development to ensure that education professionals, including teachers and SNAs, receive suitable autism training; and the estimated first and full-year cost, respectively, to implement this proposal. [57281/23]
Amharc ar fhreagra556. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Education if, in line with Action 36 of the Autism Committee’s Final Report, she will engage with the National Council for Special Education to establish the number of pupils on reduced school hours and implement measures to reduce the use of such measures. [57282/23]
Amharc ar fhreagra557. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Education if, in line with Action 37 of the Autism Committee’s Final Report, she will engage with the HSE and the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to ensure that children in special schools can access clinical supports in schools until such time as children's disability network teams, CDNTs, are fully staffed and access to services can be reviewed; and the estimated first and full-year cost, respectively, to implement this proposal. [57283/23]
Amharc ar fhreagra558. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Education if, in line with Action 38 of the Autism Committee’s Final Report, she has plans to increase the pay offered to SNAs and teachers for participating in a school-based summer programme to incentivise participation; and the estimated first- and full-year cost, respectively, to implement this proposal. [57284/23]
Amharc ar fhreagra559. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Education if, in line with Action 39 of the Autism Committee’s Final Report, she will engage with children’s disability service providers to foster and encourage the participation of clinicians such as therapists and psychologists in the summer programme at an attractive rate of pay; and the estimated first and full-year cost, respectively, to implement this proposal. [57285/23]
Amharc ar fhreagra560. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Education if, in line with Action 40 of the Autism Committee’s Final Report, she will work with the Department of Health to amend the Disability Act 2005 in tandem with the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs (EPSEN) Act 2004 and include a right to services as well as a right to an assessment of need. [57286/23]
Amharc ar fhreagra561. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Education if, in line with Action 41 of the Autism Committee’s Final Report, she has plans to review established practices on transitioning to new schools throughout the education system, and provide more guidance and supports for schools in assisting pupils to transition between schools. [57287/23]
Amharc ar fhreagra562. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Education if, in line with Action 42 of the Autism Committee’s Final Report, she has plans to establish a national transitions service to assist autistic children and adults as they transition into primary education, between schools, secondary education, university, employment and all other areas of life; the estimated first and full-year cost of establishing such a service; and the estimated first and full-year cost, respectively, to implement this proposal. [57288/23]
Amharc ar fhreagra563. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Education if, in line with Action 43 of the Autism Committee’s Final Report, she has plans to establish a clear pathway to access alternative and augmentative communication, and assistive technology, and ensure that autistic children and adults can access and retain AAC devices and supports throughout their lives; and the estimated first and full-year cost, respectively, to implement this proposal. [57289/23]
Amharc ar fhreagra564. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Education if, in line with Action 44 of the Autism Committee’s Final Report, she has plans to increase the funding allocated to alternative and augmentative communication, and assistive technology, to ensure that there are sufficient devices available to those who need them as well as training for the families of AAC users; and the estimated first and full-year cost, respectively, to implement this proposal. [57290/23]
Amharc ar fhreagra565. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Education if, in line with Action 45 of the Autism Committee’s Final Report, she has plans to review her Department’s policy on the role and priorities of a centre (details supplied). [57291/23]
Amharc ar fhreagra566. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Education if, in line with Action 46 of the Autism Committee’s Final Report, she will liaise with the Department of Education in Northern Ireland to negotiate a mutual increase in funding to a centre (details supplied) to expand its services and apply its best practice model nationally; and the estimated first and full-year cost, respectively, to implement this proposal. [57292/23]
Amharc ar fhreagra567. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Education if, in line with Action 47 of the Autism Committee’s Final Report, she will adopt a rights-based approach to the summer programme to ensure that it is regarded as an essential service for autistic children and their families; and the estimated first- and full-year cost, respectively, of implementing this proposal. [57293/23]
Amharc ar fhreagra568. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Education if, in line with Action 48 of the Autism Committee’s Final Report, she will establish an agency or a dedicated section within her Department to manage the summer programme and ensure that it is made available in all schools, with the participation of trained external staff where internal staff are unavailable; and the estimated first and full-year cost, respectively, to implement this proposal. [57294/23]
Amharc ar fhreagra569. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Education if, in line with Action 49 of the Autism Committee’s Final Report, she will develop a clear policy to ensure that there is a requirement that interventions provided within the context of special education are evidence-based and rights-based. [57295/23]
Amharc ar fhreagra570. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Education if, in line with Action 50 of the Autism Committee’s Final Report, she will liaise with a centre (details supplied) to provide continuous professional development training for SNAs and encourage participation by regarding them as additional hours worked under the Croke Park agreement; and the estimated first and full-year cost, respectively, to implement this proposal. [57296/23]
Amharc ar fhreagra571. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Education if, in line with Action 51 of the Autism Committee’s Final Report, she will include a mandatory module on autism training as continuing professional development for teachers; and the estimated first and full-year cost, respectively, to implement this proposal. [57297/23]
Amharc ar fhreagra572. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Education if, in line with Action 52 of the Autism Committee’s Final Report, she will ensure that all schools that are in receipt of public funding, whether public or private, foster more inclusive practices around autism, including the opening of special classes. [57298/23]
Amharc ar fhreagra573. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Education if, in line with Action 53 of the Autism Committee’s Final Report, she will design a template or guidelines for schools clearly explaining the steps that should be taken if behavioural challenges emerge in an educational setting, and ensure that protocols around restraint and penalisation are stated unambiguously, with a view towards eliminating these practices. [57299/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 550 to 573, inclusive, together.
As discussed and agreed with the Deputy, my Department is providing a single combined reply to a number of separate questions on individual recommendations on the final report of the Oireachtas Committee on Autism.
Enabling children with special educational needs to receive an education is a priority for this government. It is also a key priority for me as Minister for Special Education & Inclusion, for my Department and for the National Council for Special Education (NCSE).
The vast majority of children with special educational needs are supported to attend mainstream classes with their peers. Where children with more complex needs require additional supports, special classes and special school places are provided.
In 2023, my Department spent over €2.6 billion on special education and further progress will be made this year as an additional €113m will be dedicated to providing supports for children with special educational needs.
This includes funding to support children with special educational needs in mainstream classes; funding for new special classes and new special school places; additional special educational teachers, special needs assistants (SNAs) and funding for the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS).
In 2024, the number of teaching and SNA posts in our schools will increase with an additional 744 teachers and 1,216 SNAs added to deliver up to 2,700 new places for children with special educational needs. This will mean we will have over 41,500 qualified and committed people in our schools who are focused wholly and exclusively on supporting children with special educational needs.
As the Deputy is aware the Joint Committee on Autism was established in 2022 to consider matters relating to the services and supports provided by the state for autistic people. In June 2023, the committee reported to both Houses of the Oireachtas with its final recommendations regarding matters relating to the services and supports provided by the state for autistic people including that of education.
In this report the committee provided 24 specific recommendations pertinent to my Department. My Department's current position on each recommendation is provided in the attached document in tabular form.
This government recognises that there are bespoke challenges facing our autistic community that need to be better addressed, for this reason, the development of a new national strategy on autism has commenced.
The Autism Innovation Strategy which is coordinated by the Department of Children Equality, Disability Integration and Youth is a cross-government initiative designed to complement and enhance existing policy frameworks. It will seek to provide for better mainstream understanding and accommodation of the needs of autistic people across the public system.
Development of the strategy is currently at an advanced stage with drafting of the strategy being finalised at present. This follows several months of engagements right across government to agree a suite of clear, simple actions that can address gaps in existing supports and services for autistic people within an 18 month timeframe.
This process has included careful consideration of the recommendations contained in the final report of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Autism and the findings of a public consultation held in 2022.
Once drafting of the strategy is complete, there will be a further public consultation prior to the formal adoption of the Autism Innovation Strategy. Preparations for this consultation are currently underway. It is intended that implementation of the strategy will begin in early 2024.
My Department is committed to delivering an education system that is of the highest quality and where every child and young person feels valued and is actively supported and nurtured to reach their full potential.
