'Parents forced to take State to court for services and even diagnoses for their children'

The Oireachtas education committee heard from the National Parents’ Council and Save Our SNAs today, Wednesday. Picture: iStock 

Parents are being forced to take the State to court for services, school places, and even diagnoses for their children, advocates have warned.

The Oireachtas education committee met with the National Parents’ Council, and Jesslyn Henry of the Save Our SNAs (special needs assistant) campaign group.

In her opening statement, Ms Henry said the right to an inclusive education is not “an aspiration”.

It is a right recognised in national and international law, she added. This includes the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs (EPSEN) Act.

The Department of Education’s own policies also “commit us to supporting children to learn and thrive in the least restrictive environment possible,” Ms Henry said.

“But rights on paper mean very little if they are not matched with action in practice. Education is a human right. Safety is a fundamental psychological need. Unfortunately, for far too long, our system has been failing far too many children.

No parent should have to take the State to court for services, a school place or even a diagnosis, yet that is exactly what is happening. This is not an inclusive environment.

She added that true inclusion cannot "depend on the goodwill of individual teachers, SNAs or parents fighting for supports".

"It must be embedded within the entire education system. It must be planned for, funded and prioritised." 

Court cases for school places and supports

People Before Profit–Solidarity TD Ruth Coppinger said she hears from an “awful lot” of parents in relation to accessing school places and supports. 

“I have to put parents in touch with solicitors who take cases," Ms Coppinger said.

“There seems to be a history in this country of [the State], no matter what Government is there, defending and then only paying out when they need to, we’ve even seen it in relation to people who have suffered abuse in schools.”

Committee member People Before Profit–Solidarity Dublin West TD Ruth Coppinger spoke of 'a history in this country' of the State defending cases 'and then only paying out when they need to'. File picture: Sam Boal/Collins

Ms Henry said she is also often contacted by parents “reaching out looking for support because assessments of needs are taking years, they haven’t got school places".

“We had sleepouts last year, [parents] looking for school places for their children, which is absolutely diabolical."

One family have contacted her directly as they have no school place for next year. 

“The primary school has already told her there’s no point applying. We’re hearing of this far too often, and parents should not have to be taking cases to court. 

"They absolutely should not have to be doing sleepouts outside the Department of Education to make sure their child has a school place."

National Parents Council survey

Meanwhile, a survey by the National Parents Council found that many parents feel that special educational support should be allocated on the basis of individual need and that current arrangements do not always reflect the reality of children's experiences. 

Parents were also very positive about the role of SNAs, but almost half of those who took part felt "the current allocation model is not fair". 

Many others also indicated "they were unsure how the system operates".

• Jess Casey, Education Correspondent