Tag Archives: July Provision

CLARE Sinn Féin TD, Violet-Anne Wynne, has called on the Department of Education to immediately clarify the finer details around the July provision transportation grant. “I have been contacted by a number of families who are still in the dark in terms of when this grant will be paid. In this unprecedented time of Covid-19 families are forced to budget every penny of their household income to ensure they can keep going. Every year the department would have normally supplied transport via a contract through Bus Eireann, this year that was stopped due to Covid-19, leaving families to have to arrange their own transport to and from schools,” Deputy Wynne stated. “While parents were happy to arrange same, they have since been left in the dark by the department on when they will be able to reclaim these expenses from the grant scheme. Some parents have told me how they have been making round trips of 130km twice a day …

THE plight of parents who have been on lockdown caring for their children with special needs, and who would normally access the support of services like those provided by The Clare Cruaders, has been highlighted at the Special Committee on Covid-19. Chairperson of the committee, Scariff TD, Michael McNamara heard from a number of those advocating for children and families, including representatives from Inclusion Ireland, who outlined in detail the strains put on households and the regression experienced while services were closed. While the Department of Education and Skills has initiated an expanded summer programme, known as July provision, there are concerns about the children who will be excluded on the basis of their disabilities. Enda Egan, CEO of Inclusion Ireland told the committee, “The scheme continues to exclude cohorts of children with disabilities and has been characterised by poor planning, leaving schools and families frustrated and in the dark.” He also urged that the scheme be opened to “all children with …

EDUCATION for children with special needs shouldn’t be stopped, despite the challenges posed by Covid-19, according to a local councillor. Councillor Ann Norton, who is concerned about the delay in rolling out July Provision, said this grant should have been allocated at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic last March to give parents the option of availing of one-to-one tuition for their child. She proposed young student teachers who can’t get work experience could have been tasked with providing home tuition with all the necessary safeguards such as using personal protective equipment and the teacher conducting the work in one room with the child and without any contact with other people. “Children with special needs can’t sit around day after day after day. They need education and activities. “Parents still don’t know if July Provision is going ahead. There is no reason why a parent couldn’t get a teacher in for a few hours before children go back to school,” …