Hope grows St Mary’s may retain speech and language therapist
There was renewed hope this week that St Mary's Special School in Navan might be able to hold onto its speech and language therapist following news that Disabilities Minister, Anne Rabbitte, has directed the HSE to reinstate all therapists lost to Cork special schools.
The development comes as St Mary's Principal, Maria Corredor prepares to meet with representatives of the HSE tomorrow (Wednesday) to discuss the its proposal to withdraw the Speech and Language Therapist from St Mary's.
“I am meeting with the HSE tomorrow, but I don't know what will happen,” Ms Corredor said.
“It is quite telling that the Minister has done this in Cork, it seems that the HSE's Progressing Disabilities Programme (PDS) doesn't seem to be working.”
There had been an angry reaction to the news in recent weeks that speech and language therapy provided in St Mary's Special School was being withdrawn by the HSE and Enable Ireland.
Ms Corredor said the withdrawal of the service under the PDS scheme was very worrying.
“This will have a negative effect on children, our speech and language therapist is outstanding. In my 28 years teaching I have never met anyone else as good as she is.
“If we lose her, it could take over 12 months to implement the HSE plan. Who looks after our children in the meantime?
"The main access to education is though speech and language.
“What is proposed is very serious and upsetting, so I hope that the Minister's action in Cork will mean good news for us too,” she said, “However, I don't know yet how it will affect us.”
The school had been told in recent weeks that its students will receive their clinical services from their home address network team. This includes their speech and language therapy, which would mean that out of 55 pupils currently receiving speech and language therapy in the school only five would continue to receive it in St Mary's.
The rest of the children will depend on the plan that the HSE has drawn with each of the families who will now be supported by one of the new children's disability network teams, based on their home address.
Following a meeting last week between the Minister for Disabilities and the principals of Cork schools who had lost various therapy services, the Minister directed the HSE to reinstate all therapies to the special schools in Cork.
Meanwhile, almost 1,400 people have signed an Uplift petition, set up by Cllr Alan Lawes, calling for the retention of the speech and language therapist at St Mary's, while Deputy Johnny Guirke has written to the Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly, calling for the reversal of the HSE’s decision.
Deputy Guirke said: "The therapist is not only working with the 55 pupils, but she also works closely with the principal and trains the teachers on how best to teach the pupils every day.
"Her work doesn’t stop there, as I’m told she works very closely with all the parents of the pupils at the school.
"If the school were to lose such a service, it would have a detrimental effect on the pupils, and would most definitely see them regress," he said.
Minister Rabbitte has been approached for comment.