Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 12 February 2026
331. Deputy Martin Kenny asked the Minister for Education and Youth the engagement she and her officials have had in 2025 with the Minister for Health and the HSE in relation to the recruitment of senior and staff grade occupational therapists and speech and language therapists for the National Educational Therapy Service; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [71265/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy 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.
In line with the programme for government commitment, the Education Therapy Service (ETS) has been established as a critical and important support for children and young people in their school environment. The ETS is an additional support for children with special education needs. It is to supplement and not replace existing children’s health and disability services.
Minister for Education and Youth, Hildegarde Naughton, and I announced details of the 45 schools in the initial phase of the ETS on Friday the 6th of February. This will ensure that selected schools have the opportunity to engage with the ETS, through planned engagements, prior to therapist assignment.
It is important to highlight that this is the initial phase of the ETS rollout 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.
Engagement on the design and delivery of the ETS with stakeholders across the health and education sectors, including the Department of Children, Disability and Equality (DCDE), the Department of Health, and the Health Service Executive (HSE), is ongoing and includes discussions on the recruitment of therapists in the NCSE. This vital engagement and feedback will continue to inform service development and ensure alignment with existing children’s services, aiming to provide a comprehensive service for children in their school environments, while maximising available resources.
Furthermore, my department alongside the Department for Health, Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, the Department for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth and the HSE are working together to ensure an increased supply of clinicians in key clinical disciplines including speech and language therapists, occupational therapists and physiotherapists as a matter of priority. As a result of this engagement the Government has approved an increase of 30 OT and SLT training places for 2025.
DEY officials will continue to work with DFHERIS on increasing of the supply of graduate therapists. The ETS will develop a practice development framework, ensuring an increase in the number of clinical placements available to HEI’s and students’ therapists.
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 reach their full potential.
