Failing children with special needs is ‘Tuam scandal of 2017’, Dáil hears

The failure to provide psychological assessment in schools for children with special needs is the Tuam scandal for 2017, the Dáil has heard.

Fianna Fáil’s Michael McGrath made the claim during a debate on a Fianna Fáil private member’s motion calling for the Government to act on its commitment to increase the number of psychologists by 65 and to ensure that no child assessed for special needs will be without adequate resources.

Mr McGrath said “We are failing the children of Ireland with special needs. It’s not good enough and, as a country, we should be ashamed of ourselves. This is our Tuam scandal of 2017.”

He highlighted the case of a young girl put on a waiting list for an assessment of need. But when it became clear there would be a significant delay, her parents were advised to make a complaint to the HSE and if it was upheld their child’s need would be prioritised.

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The child was number 1,026 on the complaints waiting list, “not the list to have the assessment done but on the list to have the complaint heard about a delay in having the assessment done”.

Fianna Fáil education spokesman Thomas Byrne, who introduced the motion on the National Educational Psychological Service (Neps), called on Minister for Education Richard Bruton to ensure the recruitment of psychologists pledged, even though it was a very low number, should take place.

Child assessment

He told Mr Bruton: “You should get on with the job of making sure that that recruitment happens and that those psychologists are employed to go about their work to assess children with special needs.”

Mr Byrne said this was about their rights to an education. “This is about their rights as Irish citizens,” to make sure they had the opportunity to fully participate in the education system.

He also called on the Minister to introduce amending legislation that would direct schools to provide special classes where necessary.

Sinn Féin education spokeswoman Carol Nolan said 619 schools across the State did not have access to a Neps psychologist for an assessment: "That is a shocking statistic." She said they should not have a system where a child might get assessed through a private service.

The Minister said, however, that TDs were giving “a very inaccurate portrayal of what is happening. Since 2011, there has been a 41 per cent increase in the number of resource teachers, or teachers for children with special educational needs.” He acknowledged there was a more acute problem at second level and that special needs units for children with autism had grown from a much lower base, but had grown much faster.