Pearse Doherty
Deputy Pearse Doherty has reiterated his calls for the Minister for Children to guarantee the provision of special education supports for children with disabilities attending pre-school in Donegal.
The Donegal Deputy’s comments come following growing concerns amongst parents and pre-school providers over increasing incidences of educational supports being withdrawn or refused for children with special education needs.
It follows the introduction last month of the new ‘Access and Inclusion Model’ (AIM) which aims to support children with disabilities and special needs to access pre-school education.
Deputy Doherty said “Last month the Department of Children officially introduced its new Access and Inclusion Model (AIM) for pre-schools which is a new programme of supports devised to enable children with a disability to access and fully participate in the free pre-school programme.
“These education supports are vital for children whom require additional help as it assists them to enter the formal pre-school setting and accrue the maximum possible benefit from the programme at what is a crucial period during a child’s formative years in terms of their physical, emotional and psychological development.
“While many parents and education providers have broadly welcomed the new initiative, there has been a growing number of them whom have become concerned over increasing incidences of supports, such as SNAs, being withdrawn from children as part of their pre-school placement, or supports being refused for those children having just entering the programme for the first time this year.
“In essence, more and more parents from across Donegal are coming forward to report that their child, while having been provided with Special education needs supports last year, now face the prospect of having those supports withdrawn for this incoming year following the child having been re-assessed to determine their eligibility for SEN supports as directed under the new model.
“This is despite the fact that the Minister is on record as having previously given assurances that all supports currently available to children through the various agencies, such as the HSE, would remain in place for 2016/2017 during this transition period and until such time as the new model is fully operational.
“Last week I immediately brought this matter to the Minister’s attention in the Dáil where I asked her if she was aware of such incidences and I asked if she believed that these occurrences contravened the commitment she herself made when she pledged that supports would not be removed.
“Responding to my Question, the Minister confirmed that all existing supports, whether funded via the HSE or the Department of Education and Skills, should remain in place and until such a time as the new model is fully embedded in the system. In her reply, Minister Zappone also clarified that local service providers were instructed by HSE senior management not to withdraw supports from children with a disabilities and she has now promised to discuss this matter with her colleague Minister of State Finian McGrath.
“While I very much welcome the Minister’s reply as well as her pledge to further examine this issue, I believe that the Government must now take all necessary steps to honour the commitment to protect pre-school supports allocated to these children.
“Following the Minister’s response, I have also written to HSE Management locally in which I have demanded that the executive clarify their position and give assurances that SEN supports will be retained as instructed.
“While I await to hear the outcome of the discussions which are to take place between Ministers Zappone and McGrath in relation to this issue, I shall be providing both Ministers with further evidence of individual cases from right across Donegal in which families have been notified of their service providers intention to have SEN supports withdrawn from children with special education needs.
“As the end of the summer months draws nearer and people return to work after the holiday period, there is now an urgent need to ensure that supports for children with disabilities are secure and in place for them as they make the return to pre-school.”
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