Debate contribution: Special Educational Needs and Disability: Investment and Transformation

Debate contribution by Ms Sian Mulholland on 26 February 2024.

MLA

Ms Sian Mulholland

Party at the time

Alliance Party

Date

26 February 2024

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

Special Educational Needs and Disability: Investment and Transformation

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4231222

Read the official Assembly record

Text

Thank you, Madam Principal Deputy Speaker. Did I get that right? First of all, before I begin my speech, I pass on my condolences and those of my party to Cathy, who shared her personal story of loss. In speaking on this important motion, I thank my colleague and my party's education spokesperson, Nick Mathison, whose passion for this issue was evident this afternoon in his opening speech. I want to speak about the importance of early intervention and planning in the support and nurturing of children with additional needs in their education journey. Early detection of need and early intervention are critical in ensuring that our children receive the support that they require to succeed and thrive in life. There is significant research evidence on the importance of early interventions in the earliest of years. Prevention is better than cure, as they say, but investment so far has failed to match that rhetoric. Investment in prevention and early intervention makes sound economic sense, with well-documented and robust returns on investment felt right across society in every shape and form. The investment in early life interventions can be offset by the potential savings in terms of reduced need for late intervention. It is clear that the earlier we intervene, the better the outcomes. That is particularly important for children with special educational needs and disabilities. We cannot and absolutely should not wait until a child reaches preschool or primary school to begin planning for their education journey.

No parent should have to fight for their child's right to access such a vital component of their development needs.

Although it is an education motion, it is not just an issue to be addressed by the Department of Education. In the light of the need for early intervention, we cannot overstate the importance of a joined-up approach from all those who have cause to be engaged with families and children from birth; the key cohort partner here being health visitors. Health visitation is an absolute priority in the early years service, with its reach and impact extending well beyond Health and its remit. Concerns can be raised at those key points in a child's development. Whether that is at a one-year, two-year or preschool review or at points of contact in between, health visitors are the perfect people to instigate early intervention, but it must be joined up and well communicated with the education system. Once the issue is raised, it should not be a postcode lottery for children and families as to whether they have access to early intervention developmental services, but, unfortunately, that is exactly what is faced, given the inconsistency of the services that are delivered across trusts and, indeed, education areas. The independent review of education also acknowledges clearly the role of speech and language therapists in addressing developmental issues. There is a widening gap between capacity and demand. It is a vital service, with early intervention through speech and language therapy (SLT) potentially helping to prevent or resolve problems that could emerge later in life, yet there are huge numbers of vacancies in those key roles. Without investment, we cannot address those workforce pressures, and that will not address the obvious urgent need. Another essential cohort in that joined-up approach are those in the early years sector. Proposals to expand or improve early years services will have immediate cost implications — that is true — but the long-term consequences will be financially positive. We want to see funding for early years and the support systems that that sector provides to be adequate, strategic and seen as a long-term investment. In Northern Ireland, 18·7% of children are recorded as having special or additional needs, and 6·8% have statements. Those children will not simply present themselves with those additional needs on their first day of school, so why do we have a system that waits until that point of entry to address their need and adequately plan for their education journey? We need to move forward urgently, ahead of the school year, so that we do not see a repeat of the shameful scenes last September, with our most vulnerable children not having a plan for their educational journey in place for their first day, their first week or even their first month. We need a joined-up approach that is adequately funded across Departments and stakeholders and is ready to deliver the right support at the right time for the children and young people who need it most.

749 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not qualifying

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 09:43 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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