2026-04-23

4. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether she will implement the alternative circular drafted by the Save our SNAs campaign group (details supplied) to ensure that all school students have supports appropriate to their needs. [29532/26]

It is only a few weeks since the Government caused fear, panic and stress among parents of children with special needs, school communities and SNAs by threatening swingeing cuts in SNAs in many schools. That was all because of a circular from 2014 which had failed the recognise the evolution of the role of the SNA and the needs of our children with special needs. An alternative circular has been put together by the Save our SNAs campaign group involving parents, SNAs and others. The group wants to know if the Government is going to support and adopt this new circular about the role of the SNAs in our schools.

I thank the Deputy for the question. The Department of education recognises the value of the special needs assistant, SNA, role in the successful inclusion of students with additional and significant care needs in schools to enable them to achieve their best outcomes and reach their full potential. I am also aware of the contribution that SNAs make to the educational experience and overall well-being of students in our schools. I recognise that SNAs demonstrate a deep commitment to their roles and the students they work with, providing a range of supports, including for behaviours of concern, assisting students with regulation and fostering independence. Currently provisions on the role of the SNA are set out in circulars 30/2014 and 71/2011. The policy and the process for allocating SNAs has been in place since 2014 and the NCSE continues to respond to increasing demand for SNA support, as is reflected in the growing SNA workforce. By the end of this year, there will be almost 25,000 SNAs in our mainstream classes, special classes and special schools. Since its publication, circular 30/2014 has facilitated unparalleled growth of more than 13,200 SNAs, more than doubling the SNA workforce. The Department has concluded a comprehensive review of the role of the SNA as part of ongoing work on the first SNA workforce development plan. This work was supported by a working group comprised of a wide range of stakeholders which met on 15 different occasions in recent times, providing input from a number of perspectives. These stakeholders included school management bodies, Fórsa, the recognised trade union which represents SNAs, the National Parents Council, and the Children’s Rights Alliance. All of these organisations, through their representatives, participated in the dialogue, exchanged views, provided suggested wording and ultimately influenced the final text of the circular. My Department has also conducted significant focus group research as well as a national survey of SNAs to ensure everyone in our school communities was given the opportunity to provide input.

The Minister of State has not really answered the question. Let us remember that we had a massive revolt because of the anxiety, stress and fear induced by the Government's attempt to cut SNA supports in many schools, based on an outdated circular that failed to acknowledge the evolution of the role of the SNA and the rights of children to the supports and resources they need. What I have heard the Minister of State do is quote figures but the whole point of the new circular being put forward by parents, SNAs and school communities is that it is not about figures but about the needs of children. It is about a reaffirmation, as they say themselves, of the obligations of the Government under the UNCRPD and the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs, EPSEN, Act, and the rights of children to full and equal access to education. It is also about a recognition of the evolution of the role of the SNA as being somebody who removes the barriers and provides the supports necessary for children to have full and equal access to education at all levels. They want to know if the Government will engage with them on this circular, adopt it and it issue it as the circular that is needed.

The outcome of the consultation we have had with the various stakeholders, including SNAs, Fórsa, the National Parents Council and the Children's Rights Alliance, is a draft circular which provides a clear and detailed description of the range of duties and responsibilities of the evolving SNA role. The Minister and I fully understand the evolving role, which is a product of meaningful collaboration with all of those in our school communities. We met with the SNAs and other stakeholders last month in a day-long engagement to discuss work being carried out by the Department on the plan, including the comprehensive review of the SNA role. It is intended that a new circular and associated guidance documents on the role of the SNA will be published in quarter 2 of 2026.

The Government really needs to realise that we have had revolts on a number of issues because it does not actually listen to the people on the front line. The Minister of State has not responded on the actual circular that has been proposed by the Save our SNAs campaign. It comes from the horse's mouth and is about what SNAs, parents and others believe is required to ensure that their children have the opportunities, supports and resources necessary to reach their full potential and to vindicate their rights to education and full participation in society. Is the Minister of State going to engage with the people who put this circular together? Is he going to engage with the circular? Does he agree with the principles set out in it? He is not really answering my question. He said that he has talked to this person and that person but is he going to respond to this circular and engage with the people behind it? I suggest he meets the people who put it together to discuss what is in it. It is not clear, otherwise, that the Government will not make the same mistakes that led to the crisis we had only a few weeks ago.

We have had a considerable amount of engagement on this and work has been ongoing for a number of years on the SNA workforce development plan, redeployment and on the circular. A lot of work has been done in relation to the circular going back a number of years at this stage, involving consultation with those across the education partners, parents groups, children's advocates and SNAs who are central to advising on the challenges and the evolving role. It is important to note that we have been engaging extremely well to bring a new circular into the system. A huge amount of work has been done in terms of consulting with the people who are at the coal face. There are almost 25,000 SNAs and we have no intention, as a Government, to deplete the SNAs. The SNAs are a hugely integral part of the education experience for children with additional needs and they are the foundation of what we are doing. We want to ensure we have the right tools in terms of circulars, the workforce development plan, and redeployment in place to ensure SNAs are valued and the role they play is updated in the new circular.

The Minister of State did not really answer the question