Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 26 May 2026
570. Deputy Martin Daly asked the Minister for Education and Youth if guidance is available to schools where parents privately engage occupational therapists to support a child’s learning needs; and if schools can access HSE or NCSE supported OT input directly. [39490/26]
View answerWhile the provision of clinical therapy supports to children is the responsibility of the HSE, it is this government’s ambition, and as outlined in the Programme for Government, to extend therapy supports within the education system, initially in special schools, and subsequently extending to schools with special classes and mainstream provision overtime.
My department is, and has been, actively working with the Department of Health, the Department of Children, Disability and Equality and the Health Service Executive to develop and strengthen more coherent structures to enable children and young people to access therapeutic supports
Since 2021 the Government has sought to reinstate the pre-existing on-site health, and social care supports to special schools. Between 2021 and 2022 the Government provided funding for the reinstatement of 223 posts that had been historically provided, some of which have been reinstated.
As mentioned the Programme for Government commits to the introduction of an Education Therapy Service (ETS). This service, which will be delivered by the National Council for Special Education ensuring that all children can access Occupational and Speech and Language therapies in a timely and effective way. The ETS It is to supplement and not replace existing children ’s health and disability services.
On the 6th of February 2026, Minister Naughton and I announced the phased rollout of the Education Therapy Service (ETS). It is important to highlight that this is the initial phase of the ETS rollout, with a wider roll-out to further special schools in the 2026/2027 school year and this new initiative will see all schools benefit in the coming years.
The NCSE has recently completed three recruitment campaign for Senior and Staff Grade Occupational Therapists and Speech and Language Therapists, these campaigns are at various stages with some therapists onboard from late May 2026. The continued rollout of the ETS will be supported by phased recruitment campaigns throughout 2026 and 2027 to ensure therapy needs across the school system are met.
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(Tier 2) of a multi-tiered system of support. Regional Therapy seminars are available nationally for the 2025/2026 school year.
HSE and HSE funded organisations may provide support to individual children in their school environment. Where parents or schools privately engage occupational therapists to support a child’s learning needs, this a matter for each individual school. When external persons are employed or invited to provide services to students the school is responsible for ensuring, as far as is possible, the quality of the services provided and the safeguarding of students. All occupational therapists in Ireland must be registered with CORU and therefore must uphold CORU’s code of practice.
