Ruairi Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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73. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills for an update on the school inclusion model; to outline future plans for the delivery of holistic therapies in schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29898/24]

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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I recently announced the establishment of the Educational Therapy Support Service which will see the permanent appointment of 39 occupational and speech and language therapists, as well as 5 behaviour practitioners to the National Council for Special Education (NCSE). Therapists will work with teachers and other school personnel to build their capacity to provide as effectively as possible for the needs of students. Behaviour Practitioners will support schools to promote engagement and participation for all students.

The expansion of therapy services within the NCSE is expected to build on the achievements and impact of the in-school therapy supports services in the School Inclusion Model (SIM) pilot. SIM involved speech and language and occupational therapists working to systematically build the capacity of school communities to meet students’ needs.

The provision of clinical therapy supports to children is the responsibility of the HSE, through Primary Care or the Children’s Network Disability Team (CDNT). The Educational Therapy Support Service model will enable the NCSE to work in a complementary manner with health services and should, over time, facilitate the HSE to target its resources at those with the greatest clinical needs.

The overarching purpose of the Educational Therapy Support Service will be to improve learning outcomes for students, ensure teachers are better equipped to support all students and reduce the demand for additional resources in schools.

Educational Therapy Support Service therapists will work in partnership with school communities, NCSE colleagues and where appropriate NEPS and HSE professionals promoting the participation and inclusion of all students particularly those with special education needs across all levels of a multi-tiered system of support, providing educational support for students with the greatest level of need.

The next steps in this expansion process will include a robust recruitment process within the NCSE.

The NCSE intends to be operationally ready to deliver therapy services in the Eastern and Western regions for the commencement of the school year in September, moving to full implementation of all posts by October 2024.

The promotion of wellbeing is central to the Department of Education mission to enable children and young people to achieve their full potential. The Department provides access to a wide range of wellbeing information and supports for schools, students, and parents. However, there are currently no plans to deliver holistic therapies in schools.