Jen Cummins
Question:632. Deputy Jen Cummins asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of children engaged with the CDNT who are in need for an appropriate school place. [30935/26]
View answerTuesday, 28 April 2026
Questions (632)
Written answers
This government is fully committed to supporting students with special educational needs to fulfil their full potential and the Programme for Government makes a number of commitments to deliver on this objective.
The provision of therapy supports for children with disabilities and the Children's Disability Network Team (CDNT) service is the responsibility of the Department of Children, Disability, and Equality, and the Health Service Executive (HSE), any queries in this regard should be addressed directly to that department and the HSE. Queries relating to primary care and mental health therapy services is the responsibility of the Department of Health.
The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is the statutory body responsible for the provision of special education and allocating supports for students with special educational needs.
My department and the NCSE continue to work closely with school patron bodies, school management bodies and schools to confirm new special classes for the next school year 2026/2027. The NCSE began sanctioning new special classes in January of this year, which is several months earlier than last year. 464 new special classes have been sanctioned to date, of which 11 are inclusive special classes. Further details on additional new special classes will be confirmed in the coming weeks.
The department does not hold centralised comparative data on the level of individual student needs. Such data is maintained at individual school level and detailed within the individual student support file held by the school.
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.
The NCSE remains available to provide advice and support to all families seeking specialist placement and will continue to examine where provision is required for the 2026/27 school year.
My department and the 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 achieve their full potential.