EDITORIAL: New SNA guidelines risk leaving vulnerable Tipperary children behind

New guidelines for reviewing school allocations for special needs assistants could spark trouble for parents of children with additional needs in Tipperary, writes Tipperary Live.

New guidelines, which were published by the National Council for Special Education in September of last year, aim to change the current requirements allocating an SNA to a child in a classroom in Ireland.

Critics say that the new guidelines also aim to unify mainstream and special classes and also introduce a restrictive definition of complex needs, ultimately meaning less children in Tipperary who have previously qualified for an SNA will be able to keep that assistant, once reviewed.

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Supports linked mainly to behavioural, emotional, or learning needs are less likely to justify SNA allocation under the new guidelines.

Because many children in mainstream settings have complex but less visible needs, parents and schools fear that the reviews being undertaken may lead to reduced or harder-to-retain SNA support over time.

Another worry is that these new guidelines will mean that the needs of children will no longer be met, when the next school year begins in September of this year.

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After these reviews and with the new guidelines in mind, it is hard to see how the new guidelines will benefit children in any way.

SNA’s provide children with a variety of different roles from caring for their physical needs like feeding and toileting, to also providing emotional regulation and reassurance for children who experience anxiety, sensory overload, or difficulty coping with change.

It is with this in mind that it’s important to remember that every child in Ireland has the right to the support they need to access education, and SNA’s are a crucial factor in ensuring that right is realised in classrooms across Tipperary.