McNulty slams failures to support children with Special Educational Needs

Speaking during a debate in Stormont, Mr. McNulty said: “Issues with support and resourcing for Special Educational Needs bring the highest volume of cases through my constituency office. Since 2009, the number of pupils with Special Educational Needs in the North has been growing at a pace faster than the general school population, and approximately 20% of the school population in the North has a form of special educational need.

“The issues with the provision of special educational needs support are well documented: poor communication between families and statutory agencies, inadequately resourced services and support provision, poor coordination between health and education agencies with respect to early identification and intervention, and delays in statementing.

“The issues are well documented, but it is vital that we do not ignore the human impact of the shortcomings of statutory bodies. Without adequate supports and timely interventions, children with special educational needs will suffer poorer outcomes with respect to mental wellness, social isolation, bullying, delays in social development and academic progression.

“It is important to remember that governmental and bureaucratic failures with respect to special educational needs will have a permanently negative failure on the lives of children. That is time they will never get back, and that is ground that can never be made up.

“Reform and transformation of systems and processes are desperately needed, but it is critical to ensure that those reforms are undertaken with the needs of children and young people at heart.”