Government’s lack of interest in children with special needs is a disgrace says de Burca
Green Party councillor, Deirdre de Burca, recently stated that this Government’s lack of interest in children with special needs is “disgraceful”. Cllr de Burca made her comments following the controversy that surrounds the current threat to the pre-school service for children with autism provided by Barnacoyle School, in Co Wicklow.
“This school is for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD)” says de Burcca. “It is run by St. Catherine’s which is a well respected service provider for people with special needs in Co Wicklow, and its preschool opened in February 2004. Prior to February 2004, St Catherine’s Early Services could diagnose children with autism but they did not have the expertise to educate the children. Autism requires special treatment and there was nowhere in County Wicklow for families to turn”.
The Green Party councillor says that the pre-school opened in 2004 with six children, and a further six children entered the preschool during the months that followed. “In February 2005 St. Catherine’s received sanction from the Department of Education for twelve children” says de Burca. “Five of these children have since graduated to mainstream education – surely an endorsement of the school’s success? In May and June 2005 St. Catherine’s sought sanction for a further nine children. To date the Department has refused to provide funding for the nine additional children”.
Councillor de Burca points out that St. Catherine’s can no longer bear the financial burden of providing a service to the nine unsanctioned autistic children and that at a school meeting on the 8th February of this year, parents were advised that service would be withdrawn from the children on March 31st 2006. “This has caused immense distress to the parents involved” says de Burca. “This Government has access to an unprecedented amount of Exchequer funding and yet it is refusing to give badly needed funding to these children with special needs”.
Cllr de Burca has called on Minister Dick Roche who is a member of the current Cabinet to ensure that the necessary funding is provided for St Catherine’s school. “It would appear that this Government is more interested in looking after developers who make large political donations to Fianna Fail and the PDs and in pushing public- private partnerships that will enrich particular private sector interests, than in providing badly- needed funding for children with special needs and their families” she says. “The situation regarding St. Catherine’s is really a disgrace and must be rectified immediately”.
