Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 16 December 2025
430. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Education and Youth the data sharing arrangements that exist for students identified through the continuum of support who are also on assessment of need or child and adolescent mental health services waiting lists; if a shared national system is planned; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [71429/25]
View answerThe Assessment of Need (AON) is a statutory process under the Disability Act (2005) whereby the Health Service Executive (HSE) reports on the health and education needs of a child/young person. The provision of Guidelines, including any data sharing arrangements for the assessment of needs process is a matter for the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth and the HSE.
It is Department policy, in accordance with the principles of inclusive education, that, to the greatest extent possible, students with additional learning needs are supported in mainstream classes along with their peers, with additional supports provided as necessary.
The Continuum of Support is the framework developed by NEPS for schools to identify, plan and provide support for children and young people who experience difficulties with their learning. The National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) supports schools in implementing the Continuum of Support framework with each school taking responsibility for initial assessment, educational planning and supports for children and young people with special educational needs. Under this model, a child or young person does not require a psychological assessment diagnosis in order to access additional support at school. This Continuum of Support framework recognises that special educational needs occur along a continuum, ranging from mild to more significant, and from transient to enduring. It recognises that children require different levels of support depending on their identified educational needs, and that needs may change over time. Using this framework helps to ensure flexible and timely allocation of supports, so that those children with the greatest level of need have access to the greatest level of support.
Primary and post-primary schools make provision for students with special educational needs (SEN) through a continuum of interventions ranging from additional support teaching in mainstream schools through to more specialist placements either in a special class or a special school depending on the level of complexity of need. Schools are required to target their additional resources at those students requiring the greatest level of support. Children/young people do not require a psychological assessment or a diagnosis in order to access additional support at school.
Schools are provided with the resources, through the special education teacher allocation model, to assist them in meeting the needs of their students. It is a matter for schools to monitor and utilise their allocation of additional teaching support to best support the needs of identified students, in accordance with the Department's guidance. Guidelines for schools on the organisation, deployment and use of their special education teachers have been published on the Department’s website, at - gov.ie - SET Guidelines and supporting documentation to aid schools in supporting Children/Young people with Special Education Needs.
It is important to note that since 2017 children and young people in mainstream classes have not required a specific diagnosis to access mainstream supports from the 15,000 special education teachers in our school system. In addition, the Department has removed the requirement for any health-based information to support transitions from a primary to a post-primary special class and/or for additional SNA requirements.
The AON process as it applies to schools and as outlined in DEY Circular 0069/2025 will remain in place. For clarity, there is no change to the AON process as it applies in schools.
