MARCH 11 2008

Parliamentary Questions

• Carers
• Education and Children with Downs Syndrome
• Summer Education Programme
• Special Needs Assistants and ABA

PARLIAMENTARY QUESTIONS

• Carers

Deputy Joe McHugh (FG): asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if there are plans to increase the cap of 15 hours for carers working with the elderly and people with disabilities;

Minister for Social and Family Affairs (Deputy Martin Cullen): Supporting and recognizing carers in our society is, and has been, a priority of the Government since 1997. Over that period, weekly payment rates to carers have been greatly increased, qualifying conditions for carer’s allowance have been significantly eased, coverage of the scheme has been extended and new schemes such as carer’s benefit and the respite care grant have been introduced and extended. One of the fundamental qualifying conditions for carer’s allowance, carer’s benefit and the respite care grant is that the person be providing full-time care and attention to a person who needs such care. The number of hours a person may engage in employment, self employment, training or education outside the home and still be considered to be providing full-time care and attention for the purposes of the schemes was increased from 10 to 15 hours per week in

June 2006. In 2005 the carer’s allowance scheme was extended to accommodate care-sharing situations. Under these arrangements it is possible for week-on week-off care sharing arrangements to be facilitated. This means that where two carers are providing care to the same person on alternate weeks the carer’s allowance and the annual respite care grant can be split between them. I will keep the supports for carers available from my Department under review in order to continue to improve the schemes and ensure that commitments in relation to income support are delivered.

• Education and Children with Downs Syndrome

Deputy Brian Hayes (FG): asked the Minister for Education and Science if she will confirm that children with Downs syndrome are required by her Department to have professional assessments undertaken prior to entering mainstream primary education; if she will confirm that where a recommendation has been made by clinical psychologists for specific resource teaching for children with Downs syndrome, her Department automatically responds to this recommendation; if her attention has been drawn to the cases within her Department where such recommendations have not been implemented; if she will confirmthat every child with Downs syndrome within mainstream primary school schooling has specificresource teaching hours; the number of children with Downs syndrome who are currently in amainstream school;  the number of children with Down’s syndrome who are currently in a mainstream classroom setting; her views on whether the general allocation model does not properly provide for specific help and resources to such children and that all children with Down’s syndrome require one to one education for a minimum of three hours per week, as a means of helping those children with their specific learning difficulties;

Deputy Billy Timmins (FG): asked the Minister for Education and Science the position in relation to the learning support and resource teacher allocation for Downs syndrome children in mainstream schools; if she will review the situation;

Minister for Education and Science (Deputy Mary Hanafin):  As the Deputies are aware, my Department has put in place a range of teaching and care supports for children with special educational needs, including those with Down syndrome. The professionally-assessed needs of the individual child determine the appropriate model of response in each case. Children with Down syndrome are entitled to additional provision in school, either under the terms of the general allocation system for children with high incidence special needs or through an allocation of additional resources if the child is assessed as being within the low incidence category of special need. In circumstances where a Downs syndrome child has other associated needs and would fall into the low incidence disability categories, this may automatically attract an individual resource teaching allocation. The number of additional teaching hours allocated would range from three to five hours per week depending on the pupil’s special educational needs including the level of general learning disability. Applications for such support are made through the local Special Educational Needs Organiser (SENO) by the school. The NCSE operates within the policy parameters outlined in my Department’s circulars in allocating these supports. The general allocation system for primary schools was put in place in September 2005, so that children with high incidence special needs such as mild general learning disability could get resource teaching support at school without the need for an individual assessment in each case. All schools have been allocated resource teaching hours, depending on their enrolment levels. It is a matter for each school to determine the pupils with high incidence special education and learning support needs that will receive this support. The school can then use its professional judgement to decide how these hours are divided among the pupils in the school, to ensure that all their needs are met. Research shows that some pupils with special needs will respond better with one-to-one tuition. Others, however, do better when taught in small groups. When the general allocation model commenced, a commitment was made to review the model after three years of operation. This review will commence shortly. Information in relation to Down syndrome pupils in receipt of high incidence support is held locally by the individual schools and therefore details on the number of Down syndrome children in mainstream classroom settings is not available in my Department. I am satisfied that the mechanisms are in place to provide appropriate resources for children with special needs in our schools, including those with Downs syndrome.

• Summer Education Programme

Deputy Brian Hayes asked the Minister for Education and Science the reason her Department only provides a summer education programme, normally in July, to children with autism, but excludes other children with special needs, specifically those with Downs syndrome, ADHD or dyspraxia; if she will confirm that all special schools here have taken up the summer programme in recent years;

Minister for Education and Science (Deputy Mary Hanafin): My Department’s support package for the July Education Programme is available to all special schools and mainstream primary schools with special classes catering for children with autism who choose to extend their education services through the month of July. The Department also provides for a July Programme for pupils with a severe/profound general learning disability. The package includes special nationally agreed rates of remuneration for teachers and special needs assistants involved in the July Programme. Participating schools also receive a special rate of capitation funding in respect of pupils participating in the programme. Funding is also available to facilitate the provision of school transport and escort services for the children. All relevant schools are encouraged to participate in this initiative in the interest of the children in question. In the region of 80 schools participated in this scheme in 2007. If schools are not participating in the July Education Programme, home tuition may be offered as an alternative for the pupils who would normally attend such schools.

• Special Needs Assistants and ABA

Deputy Brian Hayes asked the Minister for Education and Science the training special needs assistants have in respect of the provision of ABA within the new special classes that she is establishing here; if it is specifically referred to in their contract of employment;

Minister for Education and Science (Deputy Mary Hanafin): The Department of Education and the National Council for Special Education have been working very hard to ensure that all autistic children have access to an education that is appropriate to their own individual needs. Whereas a few years ago, most parents of children with autism had no choice but to send them to a special school, now they have three distinct choices available to them. Their child can either attend a mainstream class in their local school with additional supports as required, they can attend a special class in a mainstream school or they can attend a special school. While some children with autism can thrive in a mainstream class, special classes have been specifically designed to meet the needs of those who require more intensive support. Children in these classes benefit from having fully-qualified teachers who have access to training in a range of autism-specific interventions, including Applied Behavioural Analysis (ABA), the Treatment and Education of Autistic and Related Communication Handicapped Children (TEACCH) and the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS). Teachers who are familiar with different methods, can tailor these to the needs of the individual child, rather than being limited by one approach. Children in mainstream schools also have the option where appropriate of full/partial integration and interaction with other pupils. SNA’s attached to special classes for autism may access training through the Special Education Support Service (SESS). As part of the overall training plan, approaches for children with ASD, including the Applied Behaviour Analysis approach is included. All schools recognised by my Department are expected to enter into a contract of employment with SNAs recruited in their school. The contract of employment is a matter between the individual Board of Management and SNA. It is expected that the training needs of existing or newly recruited SNAs identified by a school for these classes can be addressed through the SESS.