Special Needs Assistants and parents of children with additional needs will protest outside the Dáil at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, 25 February.
Protests will also take place simultaneous demonstrations in Limerick, Galway and Buncrana.
The group says the government’s decision to “pause” the SNA allocation review does not resolve crises in schools and “does not restore confidence of SNAs, parents or teachers.”
The protest organisers noted that increasing numbers of children require support from SNAs, and failings in children’s disability services have meant the needs that SNAs attend to are often more complex than they would be if children were receiving earlier and more comprehensive therapeutic intervention.
Niamh McDonald, a parent involved in organising the protest, said “my son is autistic and has ADHD. If he were to lose the SNA support he has at present, he simply would not cope in a mainstream setting. Without that support, we are looking at distress, exclusion and potentially school refusal for so many children like my son. A so-called pause does not undo the fear that has already been created for families like ours.”
McDonald said “SNAs are essential to children’s inclusion in education. They support children with primary care needs, assist with communication and regulation, and enable full participation in school life. Any attempt to reduce or redistribute supports risks destabilising classrooms and undermining children’s rights.”
Social Democrats councillor Jesslyn Henry, who also works as an SNA, said “SNAs are already stretched beyond capacity. We are supporting children with increasingly complex needs, often stepping in where disability services have failed to intervene early.”
She remarked that the government’s review process, which called for cuts to SNA services, was treated like a spreadsheet exercise.
“Pausing it is not enough. We need expansion of posts, proper training pathways, and a national contract that reflects the responsibility and risk involved in this work,” she said.
Minister for Education Hildegaarde Naughton was forced into a u-turn following public backlash to the planned cuts, but the protests are still going ahead.
Campaigners say the government’s response cannot “simply be the halting of a flawed process.”
Campanigers are calling for what they call a “meaningful expansion of SNA provision nationwide and for sustained investment to match the growing level and complexity of need in schools.”
They also point to the progression of assault leave legislation through the Oireachtas as recognition of the pressures SNAs face in the course of their work.
“If the government accepts that SNAs operate in high-stress, high-risk environments, campaigners argue that this must be matched with serious investment and respect, not punitive reviews that will result in job losses and more pressure in schools that have their allocations reduced,” they said.
People Before Profit councillor Conor Reddy, involved in orgainisign the protest, said “the government recorded a record, multi-billion euro budget surplus last year. Ireland is one of the richest countries in Europe. Yet parents are being left anxious about whether their child will have the support they need to stay in school. In a country as wealthy as Ireland, the conversation should be about expanding supports so every child who needs assistance gets it, not about reviewing or reducing what little is already there.”
Parents and SNAs are clear, a pause is not a solution. On Wednesday 25th February at 5 p.m., families and school staff across the country will demand expansion of posts, recognition for the vital work and professionalism of SNAs and for government to demonstrate its commitment to children with additional needs.