Mr. Brendan Doody:

It is a superb service. Yes, there are pressures on numbers but that is the same as on the hearing side. The task that the visiting teachers service has to undertake on a continuous basis is to make sure the kids who need the greatest level of support get the most sustained support. At any time approximately 45 children throughout the country are in receipt of the greatest level of support from the visiting teachers. While the caseload numbers are very big at first glance at more than 1,300, more than 60% of these are on a check and connect basis. Most of them are doing fine. There will always be situations that are completely unexpected, such as meningitis or a car crash. A visiting teacher then has to reallocate time to meet a particular need at a particular moment in time. From my experience in managing the service, I thought the visiting teachers were very good at this. There were some fairly challenging cases where young people who had sight up to the age of 14 or 15 were, overnight, then in a very difficult situation. I can give several examples of excellent support being provided to these young people so the very best was got out of them.