Debate contribution: Special Educational Needs and Disability: Investment and Transformation
Debate contribution by Lord Elliott on .
- MLA
- Lord Elliott
- Party at the time
- Ulster Unionist 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 4231317
Read the official Assembly record
Text
I thank those Members who tabled this very important motion and my colleague Robbie Butler for tabling what seems to be a simple but important amendment about the transition to post-education settings. Meeting special educational needs is complex and difficult, and, I have to say, it appears that parents almost give up on the situation at times. As someone who has been through the process, I understand those difficulties. I absolutely understand how you can sometimes feel that it is going nowhere. Sometimes the difficulty is the statement. I was interested to hear the Minister say that 63% of children with special educational needs do not have a statement. I was not aware of that figure, but, thinking it through, it seems reasonable that that is the case, simply because the resources are not there to address the difficulties. I pay tribute to the education centres, mainstream schools and, indeed, special schools that have provided for young people with special needs. Under very challenging and difficult circumstances, many of them have carried out tremendous work. I put on record that it is not all negative and that there are positives. Sometimes it is easy to do nothing but criticise and say, "All this is wrong", but it is not. I have seen schools, teachers, classroom assistants and support workers go above and beyond what is reasonably required of them to make life better for those young people and give them the education experience that they would not normally have. It is important that we say that. Mr Mathison opened the debate and outlined the need for change in the special educational needs process and for appropriate pay for non-teaching staff. Mr Butler said that priorities should focus on the most vulnerable young people, some of whom are missing out on important days and milestones in their education journey. That has happened throughout the process, but, again, the education centres that provide for young people with special educational needs try to resolve it and make it better for them. Mr Sheehan, Mr Baker and Diane Dodds gave examples of important constituency issues. We all get those in our inboxes. Mr Brooks and Ms Mason made their maiden speeches, and I congratulate them on that. Maybe there is a difference between East Belfast and South Down, but the complexities in special educational needs are probably very similar. I understand the circumstances of Ms Mason's personal tragedy, and she has my sympathy. Cara Hunter provided information on the vast range of complex issues that is involved and the limited resources that there are. I suppose that a lot of it comes down to limited resources. We do not have an open pot of money here, and it is for the Minister to try to juggle that pot to do what he can with the limited resources that he has. Cheryl Brownlee spoke of her personal circumstances, which is never an easy process. Sian Mulholland emphasised the underinvestment in processes. Kellie Armstrong spoke about workforce and funding in her normal positive way, if I may say, and Mr Frew spoke about how society treats, or, rather, does not treat the most vulnerable. Daniel McCrossan, Justin McNulty and Gerry Carroll highlighted individual aspects.
I will round up by saying again that this is about a lack of resources. The processes have changed dramatically over the years. The Minister highlighted that the processes that we have were for something that was in place a number of years ago. However, I say to parents, in particular: please do not give up on your young people, because they are the future of our society.
606 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
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