Richard Boyd Barrett: Demands new SNA circular before summer

Minister, we're all aware how the failure of the 2014 circular and the government to recognise the evolved role of the SNA and what the meaning of inclusion in education really means led to in the crisis that we had earlier this year. So the question is, when is the new circular promised going to be out, I heard you say I think, but if you could just confirm, that it is going to come before the summer recess and is it going to reflect the needs and aspirations of SNA, school communities, parents and children? Thank you, that is a great question. So my department is in the final stages of work on the first special needs assistance work prospect and plan and the associated documents. The plan provides a comprehensive framework for understanding and supporting SNAs, children with additional needs and school communities. So it will, through a co-created series of policy developments, strengthen, clarify and offer clear direction and consistency to the SNA workforce. So significant research and collaboration have been undertaken in preparation for that plan and that includes significant engagement with focus groups of SNAs, students, school leaders and teachers, as well as a national survey of SNAs. So published reports on each of these are available on the government website. The plan is also supported by collaborative working groups established for each of the five pillars of the work. So the membership of those working groups included school management bodies, Forsa, the trade union representing SNAs, school staff, the national parents council and children's rights alliance. So those working groups examined every facet of the role of the SNA in 55 meetings with the view to enhancing support to children and young people with special educational needs. And myself and Minister Michael Moynihan very recently held a full day long engagement with SNAs and with stakeholders, education stakeholders on those documents, making sure that there are no gaps, that we get this right. It was a very productive, positive meeting and the key outputs from the plan include a new circular on the role of the SNA, an SNA redeployment scheme which is long sought after by SNAs and the review of the SNA employment contract. And I very much value the contribution of SNAs. This was co-designed by them and by education stakeholders to make sure that the education experience and the overall well-being of our students, because this is what we are all here for, to make sure that our students, our pupils are getting the resources they need. So it will be published over the next number of weeks Deputy. Okay so it's coming out over the next number of weeks, that's good. It happened because the government got it so badly wrong. There was massive protest, there was fear and anxiety, but it's good that we've moved on. Now I suppose the question really is, is it going to be a maximalist in terms of the need to include children and genuinely recognize the role of the SNAs and how it has evolved, and genuinely recognize what inclusion means, that it's not just physical presence in the school, but it's emotional well-being, it's genuine support, it's genuine communication, that the SNA is, you know, just because a child is doing well doesn't necessarily mean an SNA has to be taken out, moved somewhere else, because then a child that might need that support to continue flourishing could actually regress because they don't have the SNA support. And all of this was reflected in the alternative circular, the proposed circular put forward by parents groups, and obviously the teachers have to have input and teachers have to teach, but this has to be a maximalist in terms of inclusion and genuinely recognizing the importance and role of SNAs. Will it be? Thank you. Minister? Yes, Deputy, is the short answer. This has been, as a result of a huge amount of collaboration and engagement, and this has been co-designed, as I say, by SNAs, by education stakeholders, and you're absolutely right in relation to the evolved role of the SNA. You know, it goes beyond care, primary care needs, the social, emotional, for example, the behavioral supports that young people and students require, and we also want to make sure that SNAs are getting the adequate training. These are things that they have looked for. SNAs come from a wide variety of life experience themselves. There's varying qualifications out there, and they bring so much as it stands, so it's to just elevate their position and to make sure that we are getting this right, and that's why there has been a huge amount of that co-design and collaboration with them, with education. I'm also listening to the voice of students and young people. There's been a huge amount of collaboration with them as well. For example, the National Survey surveyed SNAs. Almost 7,500 SNAs responded to that. Those focus groups with 310 SNAs in it, over 200 teachers, 250 school leaders. We consulted with almost 150 children and young people around the role of the SNA and what they want to see to support them as well. All good, and not a moment too soon. But there is always, we know, a tension, let's put it that way, between budgetary constraints being imposed and actual needs of children, and indeed a genuine recognition of the importance and role of SNAs and what school communities really need. Now, what is absolutely critical is that the needs of children and a genuine recognition of the importance and role of the SNAs and what school communities need, trump any sort of pressures, budgetary pressures, being imposed. That's the concern, that these delays and what happened the last time ultimately was driven by budgets, budgetary constraints, and it led to the sort of crisis that we had. So it's good we've had the conversations, but let's hope people genuinely have been listened to and that there's not a sort of watering down or diluting happening for financial reasons and that this actually does the job that it needs to do for children, for SNAs, for teachers, for schools. Thank you, Deputy Minister. Thank you, Deputy, and I'm glad you've raised this issue because we are increasing the number of SNAs. We have 24,896 SNAs in our schools. By this September, we'll have over 26,000 SNAs. Between this year and next year, we have funding for 3,000 SNAs. We will be continuing to invest in our special needs assistance. The value and the support that they provide for our children and our students, particularly as well children coming into primary school, but also transitioning from primary into post-primary level, to make sure that the resource, which is the SNA, is moving with the young person is absolutely key. And you are correct, the class teacher, the special education teacher is absolutely key here as well, but the SNA plays a part, a really key role in relation to that. When teachers are doing student support plans, for example, the SNA will feed into that as well. That is the important role that they play in the social-emotional behaviour, as well as the primary care needs of our young people. And we want to make sure that we are not only validating them, but recognising the important role that they play. And that's why this new Workforce Development Plan and the circular will reflect that through that co-design and the engagement with the sector themselves.