Children with special needs are seeing their rights “trampled upon” in the ongoing dispute between the Government and teaching unions, according to a former Disabilities Minister.

Finian McGrath was speaking after the Government scrapped plans to reopen special education this week, blaming “a lack of co-operation” from staff unions in the primary sector.

Teachers’ unions had called for reopening to be postponed – warning that efforts to reassure them that reopening was safe had failed.

On The Hard Shoulder this evening, Mr McGrath, who served as disabilities minister between 2016 and 2020, said the impasse is extremely difficult for children with disabilities and their families.

“Families are suffering and I don’t say that lightly,” he said.

“We have 18,000 children and they need our support. We have children with complex needs, they are suffering and their rights are being trampled on.

“Special schools, special classes and other disability services are essential services and it is up to everybody around that table to focus on those issues and come up with solutions.”

"Disgracefully treated"

He said the children have been “disgracefully treated” – particularly in recent days.

“Their families have been left in the lurch and I just think it is unacceptable,” he said.

“As a former Minister for Disabilities, if I was in that situation, I would be pushing the agenda of the person with the disability – and they need their special classes open.”

Independent candidate for Dublin North Central, Finian McGrath celebrates his election with his daughters Clíodhna (left) and Caoimhe at the RDS count centre, 26-02-2011. Image: Laura Hutton/RollingNews

Mr McGrath said his daughter Clíodhna, who was born with Down Syndrome, still attends adult disability services every day.

“Her temperature is taken, they have social distancing, they have small numbers, just like in special classes in our primary schools and they leave then at 3:15pm,” he said.

“They have a plan there in place and of course there are other young adults who have physical health issues as well and they choose not to send their children or young adults in.

“We are all nervous about the issue but there is no reason why these schools should be closed at the moment. These schools and classes should be opened up.

“INTO members in the North are going in to work every day and I do not accept that these children can be left behind because there is huge potential there for huge mental health issues to emerge in the future if we do not act quickly.”

Critical

Also on the show, the Chief Executive of the Mental Health Commission John Farrelly said people have to remember that for children with special needs, school is not just about education.

“People don’t understand what the provision of additional needs is,” he said. “It is essentially helping these young children with their cognition and learning, mental health and emotional development – and it is critical.

“You often hear that we must continue with health and social services and that is happening for adults – but where the children get their health services is through their education.”

NPHET

He warned that there is nobody on the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) that understands the critical aspect of special needs provision.

He also said the attempts by NPHET members to convince teachers about the safety of schools at a webinar this week were confusing.

“This is all very, very solvable,” he said. “First of all, we need a voice for these people in and around NPHET – that is absolutely important.

“I have gone through their papers for the last three months; there is mention of education but there is a lack of understanding of the special needs of these children and their parents.

“Then secondly, we need to recommunicate again to these 16,000 staff members and be very clear about the message.

“But this little group of people are left there and this is their health service and they are being forgotten about.”

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