Caoimhe Archibald, Northern Ireland’s recently appointed Economy Minister, recently announced a Prosperity Agreement. Future projects like these aim to expand access to tailored educational surroundings, support systems and mentorship programs for young people with Special Educational Needs (SEN). To address this issue, the initiative has pioneered a dedicated transition support service. This service is directly targeted at assisting SEN young people in their transition journey beyond school. The proposals are the biggest reform of the SEN system in Northern Ireland in more than 10 years. According to advocates, they don’t go far enough.
At the end of a recent meeting with Archibald, Alma White and Denise Geary expressed their dismay. They were angry that the legislation they proposed wasn’t included in the combination of reforms. White, the founder of Caleb’s Cause, has been driven by a desire to advocate for better SEN support. She highlighted the alarmingly urgent nature of the crisis. Her son Caleb requires a high level of care due to serious, complex special needs. She worries that without resolute and aggressive support from legislative leaders, countless families will face insurmountable odds.
Currently, there are approximately 70,000 SEN students in Northern Ireland, with only about 29,000 possessing official statements that detail the support they require. In England, an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) provides special needs support for young people up to 25 years of age. Unlike support in the rest of the UK, Northern Ireland’s system of support stops immediately a child leaves secondary education. This gap between what is expected and what is provided has left many families feeling abandoned as their children age into adulthood.
As to failure to effectuate any legislative change, White clearly expressed the seriousness of her concerns. “For some families it changes nothing, it reinforces a message that our children do not matter,” she stated in frustration. She further added, “To be fair to the minister her heart is in the right place, but I do feel this is not fair at all.”
Geary largely agreed on this point, stressing that we need more than just piecemeal reforms. They argued that recent developments in Wales and Scotland have successfully supported young people with SEN during their transitions from school. With Archibald’s proposals, we’re definitely moving in that direction. They don’t yet address the systemic issues that have been frustrating and plaguing the current framework for SEN support in Northern Ireland.
“The plans will require significant collaboration and I will work with colleagues across the executive to secure the resources and changes needed to support young people with SEN,” Archibald remarked during her announcement. She highlighted her dedication to tearing down the barriers that shut young people with disabilities out of opportunity.
Despite these assurances, critics remain skeptical. Speaking on the lack of substance and effectiveness of the overall proposals an advocate said… They contended that the plans continue to miss the mark in tackling the systemic issues that families are contending with. An overwhelming majority agree that federal, comprehensive legislation is vital. It will make sure that special educational needs are identified and provided for all the way up to a young person’s 25th birthday.
In December, a deep dive by an independent review provided a scathing critique of Northern Ireland’s education system. It identified a range of deficiencies across all the children’s special educational needs services. This review has already led to calls for more robust measures. We must do better to ensure that SEN pupils are getting the support they need across their education and into adulthood.
Archibald’s proposals would go a long way toward addressing many of these concerns but have been criticized for not including specific discussions of legislative action. Advocates have been calling on lawmakers to act swiftly. They caution that further delays would only increase costs and burden families even more. “Go and assess if you don’t tackle it now let’s just wait and see in next five years how expensive it’s going to be,” White warned.
