The Minister for Children’s proposed reform of the Assessment of Needs process is deeply worrying, according to Social Democrats TD Jen Cummins.
Deputy Cummins said:
“The decision to overhaul the AON process for children is deeply worrying, not least because the reform was introduced with no prior consultation with teachers’ unions, school staff, or the communities directly affected.
“Rather than easing pressure on schools and families, the changes will place additional burdens on teachers and threaten access to vital supports for children with additional needs.
“The proposal provides no clarity on who will be carrying out replacement services, what that new system will look like, or how this will affect children starting school next September – the new service has been described as an ‘educational assessment’ by an ‘assessment team’, but no details have been provided on who or what will be involved.
“Unions appearing before the Oireachtas committee today underlined long-established difficulties with recruitment and retention of qualified staff, especially in special-education settings. The timing of this reform, without adequate resourcing, training or engagement with stakeholders, could exacerbate those very problems.
“This comes after this week’s findings from a DCU study revealed alarming levels of stress and burnout across the teaching profession – according to the survey of over 1,000 teachers, 86% reported moderate to high levels of personal burnout and 85% reported work-related burnout, with many identifying workload, parental expectations, and the challenges involved in supporting pupils with special educational needs as direct contributors.
“Schools for Mild General Learning Disabilities have contacted me to raise the issue of redesignation on numerous occasions – these institutions fear that removing or weakening their designation due to the proposed diagnostic-based AON route may reduce access to essential supports and leave pupils without clear entitlement to the interventions they need.
“The promised flexible deadline for the National Council for Special Education’s parents portal submissions has yet to materialise – it remains closed with no further explanation on what parents should do, leaving families in limbo and facing even greater uncertainty about their children’s future.
“It is unacceptable that a reform of this magnitude, affecting the rights and supports of children with additional needs, has been rolled out without meaningful engagement with teachers, parents, schools, and disability-support organisations all of whom have a direct stake in its success or failure.
“I am calling on the Minister to engage proactively with all education stakeholders, instead of just issuing press releases a couple weeks before Christmas. The government should commit to genuine, transparent consultation and ensure proper resources, supports, and safeguards are in place before any changes are implemented.”
December 10th, 2025