Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 6 May 2026
311. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether there are plans to expand access to multidisciplinary teams in DEIS plus schools outside of existing pilot areas; the way in which she is working with the Minister for Health to address barriers to delivering these supports on a cross-departmental basis; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31884/26]
View answerAddressing educational disadvantage and ensuring that every child and young person can reach their full potential is a key priority for me as Minister for Education and Youth and for the Government. The new DEIS Plus scheme, which will commence this year, launched as part of the DEIS Strategy to 2035, represents the most significant expansion of targeted supports since the establishment of DEIS. DEIS Plus is designed to provide enhanced, evidence-based supports to a cohort of 121 schools with the highest concentrations of children and young people at risk of educational disadvantage, identified through a refined data-based model that draws on a range of indicators associated with persistent and intergenerational disadvantage.
This approach ensures that additional resources are directed where they can have the greatest impact, and forms a core element of the wider €48 million full-year investment across both the DEIS Strategy and the DEIS Plus scheme. Approximately 30,000 children and young people attending DEIS Plus schools will benefit from these targeted supports.
Schools in the DEIS Plus scheme will receive strengthened, research-informed supports across wellbeing, attendance, engagement, guidance, leadership capacity, community partnerships and access to services, including the introduction of a new positive mental health and wellbeing initiative to support a whole-school approach to student wellbeing.
The Programme for Government commits to the introduction of an Education Therapy Service (ETS). This service will begin in special schools and gradually extend to special classes and mainstream settings, ensuring that all children can access essential therapies in a timely and effective way. The ETS has been established as a critical and important support for children and young people in their school environment. The ETS will be delivered by the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) and is an additional support for children with special education needs. It is to supplement and not replace existing children’s health and disability services.
The initial phase of the ETS will commence in 45 special schools in this school year. It is important to highlight that this is the initial phase of the ETS roll-out which will occur on a phased basis with a wider roll-out to further special schools within the 2026/2027 school year and a new initiative which will see all schools benefit in the coming years.
Where a school cannot access support through the ETS, the NCSE currently provides two additional strands of support to schools, Regional Therapy and Sustained In-School Therapy to both mainstream and special schools. Sustained in-school support (SIT) is provided to schools for a defined period of 18–24 months in line with the School Inclusion Model. 22 schools in the Eastern region are currently availing of this service and 28 schools in the Western region are receiving support under SIT since September 25. Regional therapy support provides Teacher Professional Learning (TPL) with follow-on/implementation support by NCSE therapists. The focus of this support is to build the capacity of schools and to embed the learning from TPL into their teaching practice, through in-school coaching and co-facilitation of interventions, strategies and resources, with a focus on whole-school (Tier 1) and targeted/school support levels.
The prioritisation of schools in the DEIS Plus scheme for access to speech and language therapy and occupational therapy forms part of the approach to phase 2 of the roll-out of ETS. Schools in the DEIS Plus scheme will be included for prioritisation in the expansion of ETS when the service is implemented in mainstream schools to provide access to these therapies in school settings. Measures will be taken to ensure that this supports delivery in schools and supplements, rather than duplicates, services currently available through Children’s Disability Network Teams or other health services.
The department will monitor the implementation of DEIS Plus and the phased roll-out of ETS. Access to multidisciplinary and therapeutic supports will be considered within the broader context of DEIS Plus and the DEIS Strategy to 2035, having regard to availability across the system.
