487. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth the total number of behaviour support practitioner posts approved nationally for special schools; the number currently filled; the number vacant; the average time from approval to commencement of service; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36726/26]
Parliamentary questions
Questions
TDs ask ministers questions to get answers on the record, most of them in writing. Here is every one asked in the 34th Dáil, by the department it went to and the subject heading it was filed under. How questions work
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Showing questions asked by Ken O'Flynn under the heading Special Educational Needs.
115 questions match, newest first.
488. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether any service-level targets or performance indicators apply to the filling of behaviour support practitioner posts once approved by the NCSE; and if not, whether such targets are under consideration; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36727/26]
489. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth the current status of the behaviour support practitioner post allocated to a school (details supplied); whether the post has commenced; and if not, the reason for the delay and the expected commencement date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36728/26]
361. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she is satisfied that there is a consistent national system for identifying and publishing availability of special education places; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32260/26]
380. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth the national systems that exist to identify, track and allocate special education placements, including special classes and special school places, across all areas . [32344/26]
381. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth if the NCSE 'notify parents system' for special education placements is fully operational and used in all cases where new or vacated special class or special school places arise; if its use is mandatory for all schools and the NCSE; the compliance and monitoring mechanisms in place to ensure the system is consistently used; whether any audits have bee…
382. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth the way in which the NCSE ensures that all parents of children awaiting special education placements are engaged with in a consistent and equitable manner across all regions; and the safeguards in place to prevent variation in practice between NCSE areas. [32346/26]
383. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth the timelines that apply to NCSE engagement with parents once a special education need is identified; and the average time taken to first contact parents in each of the past three years. [32347/26]
384. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth the records maintained by the NCSE to evidence engagement with parents regarding special education placements; and whether these records are subject to audit or independent review. [32348/26]
403. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth to confirm which body has ultimate statutory responsibility to ensure that every child is provided with an appropriate school place, including access to a special class or special school placement where required; and to outline the escalation and enforcement mechanisms where a place cannot be secured. [32545/26]
404. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth to confirm which body has ultimate responsibility for ensuring that a child assessed as requiring a special class or special school placement is provided with a place within a reasonable timeframe; and the statutory enforcement mechanisms that exist where schools do not engage with the NCSE in providing such places. [32546/26]
414. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether her Department receives regular reports from the National Council for Special Education on the deployment, vacancy status and allocation of behaviour support practitioner posts across special schools; if so, the frequency, format and content of such reports; and if not, the reason no such reporting mechanism is in place. [32572/26]
415. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether a centralised dataset is maintained by her Department, or on its behalf, recording the filling of behaviour support practitioner posts, including appointment dates, commencement dates and weekly hour allocations by school; and if so, if she will provide details. [32573/26]
664. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth the reasons for the recent closure of a school (details supplied), including the dates on which the school has been closed; the formal health and safety or other legal powers relied upon by the patron or board; and any directions or guidance issued by his Department to the school or patron in relation to this closure. [18751/26]
665. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether she is satisfied that the prolonged closure of a school (details supplied) is compatible with the State’s constitutional obligation to provide for the education of every child and with statutory duties in respect of children with special educational needs [18752/26]
666. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth the specific measures she will put in place to ensure that a special school cannot again be closed for an extended period because of behavioural incidents or staff injury, including mandatory contingency and continuity-of-education plans for all special schools; clear national protocols favouring partial or phased provision rather than full closure; a…
667. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether she will introduce binding national guidelines on the management of dysregulation and high-risk behaviour in special schools, including positive behaviour support, trauma-informed practice, and de-escalation approaches, with monitoring and compliance mechanisms; and if so, the timeline for their development and implementation. [18754/26]
668. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth the risk-assessment, occupational health and staff support frameworks that will be mandated in all special schools in order to reduce the risk of staff injury while maintaining children’s access to in-person education; and whether these frameworks will be subject to regular independent review. [18755/26]
669. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth the long-term corrective actions being implemented in a school (details supplied) to address the underlying causes of dysregulation and staff injury, including changes to class sizes and staffing ratios; additional specialist and substitute staff; enhanced training, in-school therapeutic supports; any environmental or infrastructural works; and if she…
670. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth to commit to a time-bound, fully resourced action plan for a school (details supplied), co-designed with parents and staff, with clear milestones, reporting requirements and accountability structures to restore and sustain safe, full-time education for all enrolled pupils; and if she will publish this plan. [18757/26]
671. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether her Department has assessed the extent to which shortages in therapeutic supports and specialist staff in special schools contribute to increased dysregulation and health and safety incidents; and if so, the national measures she will introduce to ensure that all special schools have adequate therapeutic and behavioural supports to prevent fut…
672. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth the assessment, if any, which was carried out of the impact of the closure of a school (details supplied) on the rights of the child, including the right to education and to equality of treatment for children with disabilities; whether any child-rights or equality impact assessment was completed; and if she will publish any such assessment. [18759/26]
673. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether she accepts that prolonged denial of in-person education for a cohort of highly vulnerable children with complex needs, through the closure of a special school, would not be considered acceptable in a mainstream setting; and the steps she will take to ensure parity of treatment between children in special schools and those in mainstream school…
674. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth to commission an independent review of the circumstances leading to the closure of a school (details supplied) including consultation with parents and staff, with a view to making system-wide recommendations on how the State can better vindicate the educational rights of vulnerable children and avoid similar situations in future; and if they will publ…
675. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth state whether they are satisfied that parents of pupils attending a school (details supplied) have been provided with timely, accurate and sufficient information on the reasons for the closure, the expected duration, and interim educational arrangements; and if not, what minimum standards on communication will the Department now put in place for paren…