Social Democrats TD Jen Cummins has called on the Department of Education to provide urgent clarity to schools, families and staff on the long-awaited SNA workforce development plan, warning that continued delays are creating ongoing uncertainty.<\/p>\n
Deputy Cummins, who is the party\u2019s education spokesperson, said:<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the Oireachtas Education Committee today, I called on the Department to give a clear timeline for the publication of the plan, which is already significantly overdue.<\/p>\n
\u201cSchools, parents and SNAs themselves cannot continue to operate in a vacuum. In response to my question today, the Department indicated that it hopes the plan will be completed by June, but once again there is no firm commitment or confirmed date. That simply isn\u2019t good enough for a workforce and a group of children who rely so heavily on these supports.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe lack of certainty is making it difficult for schools to plan for the next academic year and is causing anxiety among families who depend on SNA supports.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are now only months away from planning for the next school year and yet we still do not know what the future model for SNAs will look like. The Department must be clearer about when this workforce plan will be completed and implemented.<\/p>\n
\u201cI also raised serious concerns about the continued threat facing schools designated for children with Mild General Learning Disabilities, and warned that proposals to broaden their designation risk undermining the specialised support those students need.<\/p>\n
\u201cSchools that are specifically designed to support children with Mild General Learning Disabilities are deeply concerned that they are being pushed toward a redesignation that would effectively turn them into catch-all settings for a wide range of needs.<\/p>\n
\u201cSuch an approach is not good enough for children with Mild General Learning Disabilities. These schools were developed to provide tailored supports, expertise and learning environments that meet the specific needs of those students. Diluting that focus risks leaving those children without the targeted support they deserve.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe voices of parents, educators and school leaders must be listened to before any changes are considered.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe also need to see a broader shift in how Ireland talks about education supports, with the language used reflecting a more inclusive approach. We should move away from the term \u2018special education\u2019 and toward language that reflects inclusion and belonging within our education system.\u201d<\/p>\n
March 5, 2026<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Social Democrats TD Jen Cummins has called on the Department of Education to provide urgent clarity to schools, families and staff on the long-awaited SNA workforce development plan, warning that continued delays are creating ongoing uncertainty. Deputy Cummins, who is the party\u2019s education spokesperson, said: \u201cAt the Oireachtas Education Committee today, I called on the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":12900,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[218,581,7,811],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16432","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-education","category-jen-cummins","category-press-release","category-snas"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n