Memorandum from Department
of Education for Northern Ireland (DENI)
SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS PROVISION IN NORTHERN
IRELAND
DEFINITION OF
"SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL
NEEDS"
The law defines special educational provision
in terms of the provision required to meet a child's learning
difficulty.
"Learning difficulty" means that a
child has a significantly greater difficulty in learning than
the majority of children of his or her age, and/or has a disability
which hinders his or her use of everyday educational facilities.
A learning difficulty may be intellectual, physical,
sensory, emotional/behavioural, medical or of some other nature.
It is estimated that some 20 per cent of pupils
(70,000 children in Northern Ireland) may experience special educational
needs at some stage in their school careers. For some, this will
be short-term—for example recovering from a period of illness.
For others it will be long-term. Those needs which are relatively
minor are invariably addressed by the child's school from within
its own resources. More complex learning difficulties (affecting
some 8,500 children in Northern Ireland) are assessed by professionals
and the required provision is specified by the relevant Education
and Library Board in a formal statement of special educational
needs.
SECTION 1—ANNUAL
EXPENDITURE
1.1 The Committee has asked for information
on current expenditure on special needs education and a comparison
of the figures over the last 10 years with figures for England,
Wales and Scotland.
1.2 The figures below show annual recurrent
expenditure by Education and Library Boards on special schools
(including hospital schools) and home tuition over the 10-year
period from 1987-88. Figures are taken from Board and DENI annual
accounts.
1.3 The figures do not include expenditure on
SEN pupils in ordinary schools or in special units attached to
ordinary schools; expenditure on these pupils is included within
the totals for the various school sectors and cannot be separately
identified.
| Identifiable expenditure on special schools and home tuition |
| Financial year | (£ million) |
| 1987-88 | 16.0 |
| 1988-89 | 18.1 |
| 1989-90 | 19.9 |
| 1990-91 | 22.9 |
| 1991-92 | 26.7 |
| 1992-93 | 29.9 |
| 1993-94 | 31.6 |
| 1994-95 | 33.9 |
| 1995-96 | 38.0 |
| 1996-97 | 40.3 |
Note:
In addition to the sums shown, expenditure by Boards on the employment of educational psychologists amounted to £2.69 million in 1996-97: these provide educational psychology services and advice in relation to any children with special educational needs, or who are considered as possibly having such needs. |
1.4 When adjusted for inflation, these figures represent
a real increase of 66 per cent in 1996-97 compared to 1987-88.
During the same period, enrolments in special schools increased
by 22 per cent.
Expenditure in other UK regions
1.5 The following table shows available expenditure data
for England, Wales and Scotland, though it should be noted that
in the case of Scotland in particular, the figures are not on
the same basis.
| LEA expenditure on special schools and related support services (England and Wales) LEA assessed provision on pupils in special units at LEA schools (Scotland) |
| | (£ million) England | (£ million) Wales | (£ million) Scotland |
| 1987-88 | 773 | 1N/A | 32 |
| 1988-89 | 849 | N/A | 41 |
| 1989-90 | 950 | N/A | 48 |
| 1990-91 | 1,053 | 44 | 53 |
| 1991-92 | 1,173 | 47 | 59 |
| 1992-93 | 1,354 | 50 | 74 |
| 1993-94 | 1,389 | 52 | 75 |
| 1994-95 | 1,424 | 53 | 94 |
| 1995-96 | 1,470 | 55 | 94 |
| 1996-97 | 1,534 | N/A | 96 |
| 1N/A = Not available. |
Notes:
England—Figures show net expenditure on special schools, pupil referral units, home tuition, hospital tuition, education in social services establishments charged to education, including recharges of LEA costs of administration and services such as educational psychology. They exclude expenditure on SEN pupils in mainstream schools and special units. The figure for 1996-97 is provisional.
Wales—Figures show local authority expenditure on SEN insofar as it relates to maintained special schools and SEN support services costs. They exclude expenditure on SEN pupils in mainstream schools. No figures are available prior to 1990-91.
Scotland—Figures show the special education assessment, one of 17 which comprise the GAE (Grant-Aided Authority Expenditure) in Scotland. The special education assessment uses as a primary indicator the number of pupils in a specified age range (ages 5-15 in the period covered by these figures) who attend special units attached to education authority schools in the relevant year. GAE assessment is the method used to assess the needs of councils to maintain a standard level of delivery for a standard level of council tax; councils may spend more or less than the GAE on special education according to their own priorities. |
1.6 Meaningful inter-regional comparisons are not readily
possible. Quite apart from differences of accounting treatment
and coverage, as evident from the notes to the above tables, there
are other substantiative factors which contribute to regional
variations in expenditure patterns. These include:
— the fact that NI has a higher proportion of school
age children than other UK regions, which affects overall expenditure
levels per head of the general population;
— the relatively higher reported incidence of certain
conditions (for example, conditions such as Downs' Syndrome and
Spina Bifida) in NI compared to other regions;
— structural differences in provision with a higher
proportion of statemented children in England and Wales being
placed in mainstream schools, the costs of which are outside the
identifiable expenditure shown in the tables above.
SECTION 2—RELATIONSHIP
BETWEEN TSN AND
SEN
2.1 The Committee has asked for information on the extent
to which Targeting Social Need (TSN) money is used for special
needs education.
2.2 The TSN factors in LMS funding formulae provide a mechanism
for targeting additional funds at those schools facing the greatest
problems of social and educational disadvantage. Some £36
million is allocated to controlled and maintained schools in this
way.
2.3 Education and Library Boards have hitherto allocated
TSN funds to individual schools on the basis of two main factors.
The bulk (68 per cent) of TSN funds are allocated on the basis
of free school meals. A great deal of research literature shows
a very close correlation between educational need and free school
meal entitlements in schools. Moreover, when LMS was first introduced,
there were no readily available alternative indicators of need
and free school meals were accepted as a suitable proxy. The balance
of 32 per cent of TSN funds has been allocated primarily on the
basis of an average measure of the incidence of special educational
need, known as the Warnock factor. That factor did not, however,
sufficiently target SEN resources at the schools with the greatest
percentage of pupils with SEN. Subsequently, some Boards allocated
this element of their educational needs funding on the basis of
either transfer test results or special tests.
2.4 Last year the Department commissioned a report on LMS
funding from consultants. Their report suggested that the development
of pupil assessment at each of the curricular Key Stages should
provide a reliable indicator of educational need, which it should
be possible to incorporate into LMS formulae. The report went
on to suggest that there should, therefore, be a change in balance
of the way in which TSN funds were allocated, with a greater emphasis
being placed on direct measurements of educational need rather
than using free school meals as a proxy. The report did, however,
conclude that an element of funding should continue to be distributed
on the basis of free school meals to take account of social deprivation
problems.
2.5 It was not possible to make progress on these elements
of the consultants' recommendations in allocating resources to
schools in 1998-99. Statutory pupil assessment was only introduced
for the first time in the 1996-97 school year and results were
incomplete because of industrial action by one teachers' union.
Further work is also needed to see how, in practice, key stage
testing results can be used on an objective basis in the LMS funding
formula. In addition, there is a need for further debate and consultation
on the appropriate balance between the two factors making up the
TSN allocations. The objective is that arrangements will be introduced
in 1999-2000 to target TSN funds more accurately at those schools
with the greatest number of needy pupils.
2.6 Research undertaken by the University of Ulster on the
implementation of LMS shows that schools are aware of their TSN
allocations and of the need to target them at the most needy pupils.
General Inspection Reports now comment more specifically on the
provision which is made for pupils with special educational needs.
In addition, the Code of Practice on the identification and assessment
of special educational needs states that the annual report of
all grant-aided schools should include information on:
— the success of its SEN policy;
— any significant changes in its policy;
— the outcome of any consultation on the policy
which has taken place; and
— the SEN resource allocation over the year.
The Code, which will come into operation on 1 September 1998,
forms part of the new provisions for special educational needs
introduced by the 1996 Education Order. The Education and Library
boards and all grant-aided schools are required by law to have
regard to the Code.
SECTION 3—EXPECTED
FUTURE DEMAND
FOR SPECIAL
EDUCATION
3.1 The Committee has asked for information on the present
demand for special needs education and the expected future demand,
and an indication of how future demand is estimated.
3.2 Special educational provision (including school placement)
for statemented pupils is determined by the Education and Library
Boards. The numbers of statemented pupils by type of school in
the 1996-97 year are provided in the following table, together
with comparative statistics for 1990-91 and 1993-94 to illustrate
trends:
| | 1990-91 | 1993-94 | 1996-97 |
| Special schools | 3,800 (70 per cent) | 4,390 (61 per cent) | 4,680 (55 per cent) |
| Special units | 940 (17 per cent) | 1,400 (20 per cent) | 1,600 (19 per cent) |
| Mainstream | 740 (13 per cent) | 1,360 (19 per cent) | 2,170 (26 per cent) |
| Total | 5,480 (100 per cent) | 7,150 (100 per cent) | 8,450 (100 per cent) |
3.3 The growth in enrolments in special schools reflected
in the above figures means that these schools are in most cases
now operating at or close to their physical capacity. This coupled
with the growing tendency for parents to express a preference
for mainstream education for their children has resulted in a
significantly greater proportion of statemented pupils attending
ordinary schools.
3.4 The main reasons for the growth in statementing have
included:
— more children with profound and/or multiple mental
and physical handicaps are surviving to school age and beyond,
because of medical advances in post-natal care;
— the introduction of the statutory curriculum,
and the associated right of all pupils to a broad and balanced
education, have heightened the awareness among schools and in
ELBs of the need to consider carefully how curricular and educational
needs can best be met;
— schools are increasingly aware of the potential
impact of SEN pupils, including those with behavioural difficulties,
on other pupils in a school/class and are therefore more disposed
to refer such pupils for formal assessment and possible statementing.
3.5 Decisions as to whether a statement should be made, and
on the most suitable school placement, are made by Boards on the
basis of individual assessment of pupils' needs. In addition,
the right for parents of statemented pupils to express a preference
of school, introduced this year, has to be taken into account.
It is consequently not possible to make reliable estimates of
future demands for SEN provision. Whilst post-natal survival rates
can be expected to go on improving with medical knowledge, this
would impact primarily on the enrolments of special schools specialising
in children with severe learning difficulties. Viewed more widely,
however, there are a number of factors which are likely to influence
SEN provision and which could potentially have the effect of lessening
the recent upward trend in the numbers of statemented pupils.
These include:
— Government's commitment to extend the range and
quality of pre-school provision, which will increase the potential
for earlier diagnosis of learning difficulties and the opportunity
for early intervention, thereby removing or reducing the problems
that might give rise to special needs (statemented or non-statemented)
later in a child's schooling;
— the outworking of the SEN Code of Practice, which
likewise places emphasis on early identification and effective
intervention. The Code should also have the effect of increasing
consistency of approach across NI as to whether pupils' needs
are such as to require a statement;
— the Government's drive on literacy and numeracy,
as part of the School Improvement Programme, which will ensure
that pupils are given the help they need to master these basic
skills from as early as possible in their school career.
3.6 It is reasonable to envisage that, over time, the combined
effect of these factors may be to reduce the incidence of more
complex needs of the kind which require formal statements, as
schools become better able to identify and remedy children's learning
difficulties at a much earlier stage. For immediate planning purposes,
however, the assumption is made that recent trends in the growth
of the numbers of statemented pupils will continue.
3.7 The effects of these factors would not diminish the importance
of special schools, whose particular skills and expertise will
continue to be required for the foreseeable future to secure educationally
appropriate provision for those children with the most acute needs.
Special schools also provide valuable outreach support to mainstream
schools—where, on present trends, increasing numbers of
SEN pupils are likely to be placed—for example, to assist
with speech and language problems, dyslexia, or behavioural difficulties.
Action is being taken to augment this outreach provision as part
of the recently announced School Improvement Programme.
SECTION 4—REPRESENTATIONS
ON NEED
FOR SPECIAL
EDUCATION FACILITIES
4.1 The Committee has asked for information on the representations
received from Education and Library Boards and others on the need
for special education facilities, and the Government's response.
4.2 Capital schemes for special schools are included with
other major school building proposals in the Department's capital
prioritisation arrangements. The key objectives of these arrangements
are:
— to improve the strategic planning of the schools
building programme;
— to identify on a Province-wide basis those schemes
which should be accorded priority in planning terms and to ensure
that they are advanced to an appropriate stage of planning;
— to ensure that the available capital resources
are directed as far as possible to the highest priority schemes
based on educational need.
4.3 Under these arrangements, all identified major building
schemes have been grouped into six categories of priority in a
single, prioritised Schools Planning List, with the highest priority
given to schools where it is agreed that additional accommodation
must be provided to meet population requirements. The list includes
primary, secondary, grammar and special schools and covers the
controlled, maintained, voluntary grammar, Irish-medium and grant-maintained
integrated sectors. It is reviewed on an annual basis, in conjunction
with the Education and Library Boards, the Council for Catholic
Maintained Schools and other school interests to ensure that it
is kept up-to-date and properly reflects capital building needs
across all school sectors.
4.4 In view of the large number of the schemes in the planning
list, it is necessary for the Department to differentiate between
those projects in the higher priority categories on which planning
should continue and other schemes which, realistically, have little
prospect of being included in the capital building programme within
the foreseeable future. Consequently, only those projects in the
top three categories—a total of over 100 schemes—attract
priority for planning purposes. Schemes for special schools normally
qualify for inclusion in Category 3.
4.5 There are currently 11 special school schemes in Category
3 of the Capital Planning Lists. The majority of these schemes
involve the replacement of the existing accommodation: as such
they will have only a marginal effect on the overall enrolment
capacity in the special school sector. The schemes are at various
stages of planning and have an estimated total cost of some £26
million. Details of the schemes are listed below:
| Special School schemes on capital priorities list (Category 3) |
| Board Area | Name of Special School | Description | Cost £ million |
| Belfast | Fleming Fulton | New residential accommodation | 0.70 |
| Western | Belmont House | New school on existing site | 4.75 |
| North-Eastern | Hillcroft | New school on new site | 2.10 |
| | Loughan | Extension to existing building | 1.00 |
| | Roddensvale | New school on new site | 2.10 |
| | Sandelford | New school on new site | 2.50 |
| South-Eastern | Brookfield | New school on new site | 2.61 |
| | Clifton | New school on new site | 3.80 |
| Southern | Ceara | New school on new site | 1.90 |
| | Donard | New school on new site | 1.70 |
| | Rathfriland Hill | New school on new site | 2.50 |
| Total | 25.66 |
4.6 All major special school projects which are sufficiently
planned are considered for inclusion in the annual capital building
programme. The inclusion of individual schemes in the programme
is dependent on various factors—the availability of resources,
the priority accorded by the relevant Education and Library Board
and the cost of schemes competing for a place in the programme.
Other factors being equal, and in the interests of a balanced
capital programme, the Department has endeavoured in recent years
to include at least one special school in each year's new starts
programme.
4.7 Recently, the Western Education and Library Board submitted
a number of additional schemes for inclusion in Category 3 of
the Capital Prioritisation arrangements. DENI will discuss these
projects with the Board and arrange site visits to determine if
the accommodation needs warrant their inclusion in the planning
lists.
4.8 The table below indicates the level of capital expenditure
on special schools in each of the last five years and its relationship
to overall capital expenditure.
| | 1992-93 | 1993-94 | 1994-95 | 1995-96 | 1996-97 |
| Total Capital Expenditure (£ million) | 86.7 | 83.9 | 82.6 | 80.6 | 78.3 |
| Expenditure on Schools (£ million) | 67.2 | 64.1 | 65.8 | 64.6 | 61.1 |
| Expenditure on Special Schools (£ million) | 5.8 | 3.7 | 3.0 | 5.1 | 3.4 |
| Special Schools Expenditure as percentage of Schools Expenditure | 9 | 6 | 5 | 8 | 6 |
| Special Schools Expenditure as percentage of Total Expenditure | 7 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 4 |
Notes:
Figures reflect spend on major works, minor works, professional fees, temporary accommodation, purchase of sites, furniture and equipment. The 1996-97 figures are taken from the unaudited analysis of capital expenditure. |
4.9 A prime focus of recent capital expenditure in this sector
has been a programme to replace the former special care schools,
which were transferred from the Department of Health and Social
Services to the Department of Education in 1987. These had not
been built in accordance with the Department's school building
standards. Since 1987, ten former special care schools have been
replaced at a total cost of £26 million.
4.10 In general, accommodation and equipment provision in
the majority of special schools and special units are considered
satisfactory or better, with the new schools exhibiting a wide
range of appropriate provision. The new SLD (former special care)
schools, for example, have good provision for practical subjects;
all have well-equipped sensory rooms; and some have a hydrotherapy
pool.
4.11 There remain, nevertheless, significant accommodation
needs, with 15 of the 47 special schools having a high incidence
of small or temporary classrooms, which can inhibit the effective
use of certain equipment. A further nine schools would be regarded
as having poor accommodation; all of these are on the current
priority list.
SECTION 5—ADEQUACY
OF SPECIAL
EDUCATION PROVISION
5.1 The Committee has asked for information on what shortfall,
if any, in provision for special needs education has been identified
by Government.
5.2 Both the special and mainstream school sectors have been
experiencing growing pressures in recent years as the numbers
of pupils with statements of special educational needs have increased.
In 1990, some 1.6 per cent of pupils in Northern Ireland had statements;
by 1997 this had increased to 2.5 per cent. Factors contributing
to this growth are discussed in section 3 above.
5.3 The numbers of pupils referred by schools to Education
and Library Boards for SEN assessment have also been increasing.
Boards have reported the following numbers of referrals over the
last four years for which figures are available:
| Year | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 |
| Nos. | 4,680 | 4,930 | 6,420 | 6,560 |
All pupils referred are first seen by an educational psychologist
to determine the need for a formal multi-disciplinary assessment
of needs. Backlogs of referrals have been addressed by resourcing
new educational psychology posts and streamlining procedures,
with the result that numbers of outstanding referrals have been
reduced over the same period by 30 per cent.
5.4 The implementation of the SEN Code of Practice will place
further requirements on ELBs to undertake assessments and complete
statements within an appropriate timescale. Additional funds are
being made available for this.
5.5 At school level, the increase in the number of pupils
presenting with severe learning difficulties (SLD) has imposed
demands on the 22 schools which are organised to meet the highly
specialised needs of these children, all of which are operating
at close to their full capacity. The provision made by these SLD
schools is resource intensive in terms of staffing and equipment.
There is a low average pupil:teacher ratio (PTR) (approximately
1:8). SLD provision also requires very concentrated specialised
input from health authorities, for example in the form of therapy
services.
5.6 Many special schools and units for children with moderate
learning difficulties (MLD) and those which specialise in particular
disabilities, are also at or near full capacity. These schools
also have lower PTRs than mainstream schools (approximately 1:12
on average) and many of them provide outreach teaching services
to support SEN provision in local mainstream schools.
5.7 Placement of statemented pupils at mainstream schools
tends to be most appropriate for children with mild sensory, physical
or intellectual problems, and will be underpinned by the provision
of additional equipment, sensory aids and classroom support staff
as specified in the statement. Given the finite enrolment capacity
of special schools, the recent trend (see section 3 above) has
been that statemented pupils with an increasing range of special
needs are being placed in mainstream schools. This in turn has
implications for the Board's peripatetic teaching services, and
outreach provision from local special schools, which will require
to be expanded to provide the more specialised support required
for statemented children by the mainstream schools. This need
has been recognised and is being addressed as part of the School
Improvement Programme.
5.8 SEN provision for non-statemented pupils in mainstream
schools will be better focused under the forthcoming SEN Code
of Practice which will introduce with effect from September 1998
new standards for identifying and assessing the special educational
needs of pupils by schools and Boards. The Government has made
£3.6 million available to support the necessary training
and other preparation during the run-up to the introduction of
the Code, which includes £0.6 million for a computer-based
SEN record system for schools. It is recognised that further resources
will be required in future years to consolidate and develop good
practice.
5.9 A category of special need which is of particular concern
to mainstream schools relates to pupils with emotional and behavioural
difficulties, where disruptive behaviour may have a detrimental
effect on the education of other pupils at the school. The Government
has recognised this issue and is moving to address it via a range
of measures just announced in the context of the School Improvement
Programme. These measures include:
— new Behaviour Support Teams in each ELB area to
assist schools in drawing up discipline policies and in dealing
with individual pupils;
— new "short stay" provision in which
disruptive pupils could be placed for a short period during which
they would receive intensive remedial support aimed at promoting
acceptable patterns of behaviour.
Existing provision made by mainstream schools for children with
emotional and behavioural problems is the subject of a current
study by the Education and Training Inspectorate. The report,
which will be available later this year, will identify good practice
and provide a basis for further development.
5.10 Another key dimension of the School Improvement Programme
is the focus on literacy and numeracy. These are issues with a
particular relevance for many children with special needs, whether
statemented or non-statemented, especially in the areas of speech
and language difficulties. The School Improvement Programme will
require all schools to formulate clear policies for literacy and
numeracy throughout the school. This will serve to heighten awareness
of the need to deploy suitable teaching strategies to raise the
level of attainment of pupils who experience particular difficulties
in these areas.
SECTION 6—EFFECT
OF CHILDREN
ORDER AND
CODE OF
PRACTICE ON
SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL
PROVISION.
6.1 The Committee has asked for information on what effect
the Children Order and related Code of Practice, especially the
right of parents to request assessments, will have on the need
for provision.
6.2 The Children (Northern Ireland) Order 1995 promotes a
holistic view of the needs of the child and has had the effect
of securing closer and more effective co-operation between Education
and Library Boards and Health and Social Services authorities.
In relation to special educational needs, the main legislation
is the Education (NI) Order 1996 which makes the following key
provisions:
From September 1997:
— parental rights of appeal have been extended;
— an independent Tribunal has been established;
— parental rights to receive information have been
enhanced;
— parents of statemented children have the statutory
right to express a preference of school;
— statements are more detailed;
— annual reviews of statements are more rigorously
structured;
— transition plans are prepared for statemented
children over 14;
— Boards and schools must maintain SEN policies.
From September 1998:
— a SEN Code of Practice will provide guidance on
the organisation of SEN within mainstream schools, including a
formal 5-stage process for identifying and assessing special educational
needs;
— a statutory 18-week limit will apply to the statementing
procedure.
6.3 The new legislation and Code of Practice will require
substantial adjustments in procedures and practice on the part
of Boards and schools, and this will be particularly felt during
1998-99, when new procedures are being put in place and mechanisms
to meet new statutory responsibilities are being introduced. Particular
requirements include:
— greater responsiveness by schools and Boards to
the special educational needs of children;
— greater opportunities for parental involvement;
— additional teacher time for SEN planning;
— training programmes for teachers and school governors;
— expansion of Board statementing and educational
psychology services to meet the new statutory time limit for statementing;
— promoting better inter-agency liaison (e.g., the
recent establishment of a joint ELB/HSSB review group to plan
co-operative issues).
6.4 Viewed as a whole, these new requirements will create
or increase demand for the following provision:
— school-based support for pupils with special educational
needs who are not statemented (i.e., those pupils whose needs
require provision at stages 1-3 of the Code of Practice);
— training programmes for teachers in relation to:
— identification and assessment procedures;
— preparation of individual education plans;
— adoption of appropriate teaching strategies;
— outreach teaching services from special schools
to support increased mainstream placements of statemented pupils;
— Board support services, in particular educational
psychology, peripatetic teaching and statementing administration.
Resources to meet these needs are being provided as specific funding
in 1998-99, earmarked for implementation of the Code of Practice
and as part of the School Improvement Programme.
6.5 The Department has commissioned research from the University
of Newcastle to establish a baseline for future measurement of
the effectiveness of the SEN Code of Practice. This report, together
with possible new initiatives in England and Wales, will provide
a basis for consideration of measures to further improve provision
for pupils with SEN in Northern Ireland. It can be expected that
such measures would include:
— further encouragement for the education of children
with special educational needs within mainstream schools;
— increased emphasis on cost-effective prevention
and early intervention;
— the achievement of greater consistency among Boards
in determining whether statementing is required in given cases.
SECTION 7—COSTS
SHARED WITH
OTHER DEPARTMENTS
7.1 The Committee has asked for information on the extent
to which the cost of special needs education is shared between
the Department of Education and any other Northern Ireland Departments.
7.2 The Children (NI) Order 1995 recognised that the needs
of children (including children with special educational needs)
cannot be met by any single agency and contains a number of specific
provisions which recognise the importance of collaboration between
the health and social services boards, education and library boards,
district councils, Northern Ireland Housing Executive, and other
interests. The need for greater co-ordination at Departmental
level is reflected in the Interdepartmental Group involving lead
officials in the DHSS, DENI and NIO. At local level, arrangements
are in place for the establishment of Area Children and Young
People's Committees in each Health and Social Services Board area,
involving representatives of the education services and other
key agencies and bodies.
7.3 There are already good examples of multi-disciplinary
groups working at local level and, from March 1999, local Children's
Services Plans will be published which will pave the way for greater
collaboration between agencies in assessing need and afford greater
opportunities for quality services to be developed and delivered
in a cost-effective way.
7.4 Specifically in relation to SEN, DHSS is the only other
NI Department exercising significant support functions and these
are outlined below. The support involves input from professional
staff including paediatricians, school doctors, child psychiatrists
and psychologists, speech and language therapists, physiotherapists,
occupational therapists and social workers. The main support functions
provided by the Health and Social Services sector include:
— early, pre-school, identification and assessment
of disability and notifying the relevant Education and Library
Board where a child is suspected as having special educational
needs;
— advice to Education and Library Boards in the
assessment and annual review of each child's special educational
needs;
— day-to-day specialist support for schools, in
the form of therapy or nursing support to cater for the medical
needs of pupils;
— determining whether statemented children (at age
14) are to be classified as disabled persons for the purposes
of the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons (Northern Ireland)
Act 1989.
Specific information on the costs of Health and Social Services
support for special educational needs is not available, since
most providers have wider responsibilities and resources for SEN
purposes are not measured separately. The cost of direct therapist
support in special schools is estimated to be in excess of £2
million but this is just one element of the wider programme of
care for children.
10 March 1998
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