'Disgrace' that children are missing out on vital therapy, says Cork school principal

The principal of a Cork special school included in a pilot scheme late last month to restore therapists has said her school had not been contacted by a therapist by the end of the school day on Friday — the second week of term.

Anne Hartnett of St Paul’s Special School in Montenotte, told The Echo there had been “all this fanfare” when the pilot scheme was announced.

“It is they who announced they would be back in the schools in September,” said Ms Hartnett, who is also co-chairperson of the National Association of Special School Principals. 

“It’s the end of the second week and there hasn’t even been a communication between a therapist and a special school in my experience.”

St Paul’s Special School, which welcomes students with the most complex and profound needs, was one of four Cork special schools included in the scheme.

The other schools were Carrigaline Community Special School, Rochestown Special School, and Our Lady of Good Counsel Special School in Ballincollig.

Withdrawn

The therapists had been withdrawn from the schools at the outset of the pandemic, in early 2020, and as a new model of therapists going directly to families with children who have special needs was being implemented.

In a statement in response to a query from The Echo, a Department of Education spokesperson said that the focus would be on the provision of “additional speech-and-language therapy and occupational-therapy supports”.

“It is anticipated that a school with 100 children will be assigned a dedicated resource of approximately two whole-time equivalent therapists,” said the spokesperson.

A Health Service Executive spokesperson, also in response to a query from The Echo, said the HSE disability service and the Children’s Disability Network Team lead agencies were “engaging with colleagues in the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY) to progress the pilot scheme for the four identified special schools in Cork”. 

Working group

“A local working group, with representatives from education, health and the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, is being established to oversee the implementation of this project.”

According to Ms Hartnett, the National Council for Special Education was to appoint a regional co-ordinator, who would act as a conduit between the schools and the HSE. “I’ve had no contact from the NCSE to confirm that co-ordinator has been appointed,” Ms Hartnett said. “Maybe he or she is, but they definitely haven’t made contact with me.” The Echo sent a query to the NCSE, early last week, but has yet to receive a response.

Ms Hartnett said: “I will believe it when it actually happens, but, in the meantime, we still have children who, day in, day out, are missing out on those vital, essential therapies and have been missing out for the past four to five years. That is a thundering disgrace.”

The St Paul’s principal said she believed that the Department of Education and the Government were trying to resolve the issue, but she laid the blame for the ongoing delays at the doorstep of the HSE. “They are not helping in any way, shape or form, because they are not consulting with us,” she said.

“When you’re putting together a service, surely you talk to the people involved. The children can’t speak for themselves.”

According to the statement from the Department of Education, the timing of the second tranche of schools [to be included in the pilot scheme] would be “the subject of detailed discussion between the relevant stakeholders. It is anticipated that the additional 10 schools will be identified by the end of October 2024... to commencing those in a position to progress in January 2025.”