Social Democrats education spokesperson Jen Cummins has welcomed today\u2019s plan to professionalise the role of Special Needs Assistants, but notes that this is long overdue.<\/p>\n
Deputy Cummins said:<\/p>\n
\u201cThe new Workforce Development Plan and revised SNA contract announced today are the culmination of years of essential work by SNAs and intense negotiations by Forsa.<\/p>\n
“While today\u2019s plan represents a positive outcome for SNAs, who have worked tirelessly over the last decade regarding respect and appropriate treatment in the workplace, it should not have taken so long to get to this stage.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe timing of the announcement is also less than ideal; countless SNAs are supporting exam students as the Junior and Leaving Certificate examinations begin today.<\/p>\n
\u201cOn the whole, the Special Needs Assistant Workforce Development Plan is welcome. The professionalisation of these essential workers is long overdue.<\/p>\n
\u201cSNAs banded together to reject the tone-deaf move by the Government to cut allocations in 200 schools across the country this September and achieved their goal, highlighting the power of collective action.<\/p>\n
\u201cToday\u2019s Plan includes much of what the Save Our SNAs circular asked for, including a new professional qualification and a redeployment scheme.<\/p>\n
\u201cCrucially, allocations will not be reduced by more than one post per school when these changes come into effect, protecting our school communities from losing essential staff.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am glad that today\u2019s announcement outlines the full extent of the role of an SNA – these workers play an absolutely vital role in providing our children with the education they need and deserve.<\/p>\n
“It was imperative that the Department conducted fifty meetings with SNAs, F\u00f3rsa and school management bodies to reach the conclusions outlined in today’s plan. Ultimately, the decision now lies with SNAs, who will have the opportunity to get further detail of the new plan at regional meetings and then vote on what is being offered.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is crucial that the Government listens to the voices of those in our school communities, including students, parents, teachers, SNAs and staff. Only through genuine consultation can we move forward together in an inclusive and effective manner.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe work does not stop here, though; we 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
June 3rd, 2026<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Social Democrats education spokesperson Jen Cummins has welcomed today\u2019s plan to professionalise the role of Special Needs Assistants, but notes that this is long overdue. Deputy Cummins said: \u201cThe new Workforce Development Plan and revised SNA contract announced today are the culmination of years of essential work by SNAs and intense negotiations by Forsa. “While […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":18086,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[218,581,7,811,678],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18161","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-education","category-jen-cummins","category-press-release","category-snas","category-special-education"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n