My Department and the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) are committed to delivering an education system that is of the highest quality and where every child and young person feels valued and is actively supported and nurtured to reach their full potential.
The provision of clinical therapy supports to individual children such as the 12 children mentioned is the responsibility of the HSE. However, as Minister for Education I am committed to ensuring that children have access to additional educational supports required to maximise their potential.
Within my own remit, I am conscious of this government’s ambition, as outlined in the Programme for Government, to extend therapy supports within the education system over time and initially in special schools. Work in this regard has been initiated by department officials with a plan to provide therapeutic provision through education to special schools during the school year 2025/2026. The provision of therapeutic services to special schools will be provided on a phased basis. This will not replace HSE services but rather complement existing supports recognising that special schools in particular support children with complex needs.
In addition, the Educational Therapy Support Service (ETSS) was established in June 2024 within the NCSE and will comprise of 39 therapists, initially. ETSS therapists will work in schools to build the capacity of teachers and other school staff. The expansion of therapy services within the NCSE is expected to build on the achievements and impacts of this element of the School Inclusion Model (SIM) pilot programme.
Currently ETSS provides 2 strands of support. Strand I involves Regional Therapy Support and includes Teacher Professional Learning (TPL) seminars with in-school support. It is planned that these supports will be available nationally for the 2025/2026 school year. The second strand, Strand II provides Sustained In-School Therapy for a period of 24 months, in line with the School Inclusion Model (SIM).
The NCSE intends to deliver Strand II of the ETSS initially, in its Eastern and Western regions. Dublin is the base for the Eastern region and 22 schools in this region are currently availing of this service. Limerick has been identified as the most suitable hub for the Western region. It is planned that the Stand II will be available in the Western Region for the 2025/2026 school year.
Regional Therapy Support and Sustained In-School Therapy will be available to all schools in these regions, including special schools, following an application process through the NCSE.
Further recruitment within the NCSE to achieve the full complement of 39 therapists, which is currently ongoing, will assist the NCSE in the delivery and expansion of the services provided above.
You will also be aware that recruitment and retention of clinicians is a significant issue for therapy services. The demand for Health and Social Care Professionals outstrips the supply of these valued professionals. To this end and in line with the commitments made in the Programme for Government 2025, my Department is engaging with colleagues in the Department of Health, the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science alongside the Department for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth and the HSE to ensure an increase in training places for key disciplines such as speech and language therapists, occupational therapists and physiotherapists as a matter of priority.
