700 special needs assistant roles empty

Parents of children with special needs have criticised the Government after it emerged that as many as 700 special needs assistant posts have gone unfilled due to a backlog in garda vetting applications.

Due to changes in the law this is the first year that posts cannot be filled by people who have not been processed under garda vetting, with RTÉ reporting that 700 teaching and SNA slots are still vacant as a result of the current backlog.

It has been claimed that, as a result of the vacancies, some children with special needs have been forced to stay at home, while other children have been requested to attend school for shorter periods.