Newly published guidelines for special needs assistants will harm some of the most vulnerable children in our schools, according to Social Democrats education spokesperson Jen Cummins.<\/p>\n
Deputy Cummins said:<\/p>\n
\u201cThese guidelines do not represent progress – they are designed to ration resources, not to support children.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt a time when schools are already under huge pressure, the Department is making it harder, not easier, for children with special educational needs to get the care they deserve.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe narrow application window for reviews, from September 15th until October 24th, leaves no room to respond to mid-year needs, meaning children who develop significant care needs during the school year could be left without support.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe unification of SNA allocations across mainstream and special classes also strips autism classes of the dedicated protection they once had – the higher level of need in autism classes could draw SNAs away from mainstream children, leading to resentment and division within schools. That is not inclusion.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe restrictive definitions of \u2018complex\u2019 or \u2018level 3\u2019 needs may exclude many children who rely on daily support – the downgrading of behavioural care needs as irrelevant is completely out of touch with the reality on the ground, where behaviour is often a reflection of unmet care needs.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnother concern is the requirement for schools to evidence use of the new Relate document as part of the review process – Relate is a supportive and valuable tool, but staff have had no time or training to engage with it properly.<\/p>\n
\u201cForcing schools to produce evidence of implementation within a six-week review window weaponises what could have been a positive resource.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese guidelines create fear of reduction rather than a sense of support – the entire process feels like gatekeeping. Schools already under strain may see reductions in support, leaving children without vital care and staff overwhelmed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe guidelines must be suspended and reviewed until proper consultation with schools, SNAs, and parents has taken place – there must also be flexibility for applications throughout the year, clear and fair criteria for defining complex care needs developed in partnership with practitioners and parents, adequate training on Relate, and assurances that SNA supports will not be reduced through bureaucratic processes.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs currently drafted, these changes will leave many children without vital supports, while schools struggle to meet their obligations – the system risks becoming adversarial instead of collaborative. Children\u2019s wellbeing, access, and equity are at stake.\u201d<\/p>\n
September 22nd, 2025<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Newly published guidelines for special needs assistants will harm some of the most vulnerable children in our schools, according to Social Democrats education spokesperson Jen Cummins. Deputy Cummins said: \u201cThese guidelines do not represent progress – they are designed to ration resources, not to support children. \u201cAt a time when schools are already under huge […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":12303,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[218,581,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13571","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-education","category-jen-cummins","category-press-release"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n