Press release
Ministers Foley and Madigan announce pilot project to support young school leavers with disabilities
Published on
Last updated on
Published on
Last updated on
Minister for Education Norma Foley and Minister for Special Education Josepha Madigan today announced a pilot programme to support the transition for young people with disabilities to improve access to, and opportunities for, post-school options. This project will help young people with disabilities to plan for their future options when leaving school.
The pilot will involve clusters of schools in Galway and Dublin working collaboratively with a project coordinator over the next 2 school years. A total of 20 schools will be involved in the project.
The young person’s post-school choices may include decisions on further education, higher education, accessing day services, accepting a placement in apprenticeships, employment, and other personal life choices they may wish to plan for.
Minister Foley said:
“As Minister for Education I want every young person to have every available avenue to reach their full potential. I am pleased to announce this project, which provides an opportunity for my department and other key stakeholders to work together to provide wraparound support and joined-up thinking for young people with the greatest level of need in our schools. This pilot will ensure that participants can avail of a continuum of learning and skill development, enabling them to explore the full range of options available to them when completing their post-primary school journey.”
Minister Madigan said:
“As Minister of State for Special Education, I am focused on how students can be supported best to achieve their full potential, at every stage of their education journey. This is a really important project plan which takes a holistic approach to enabling young people with particular needs to make informed life choices to achieve their goals.
“The project will align with what is already available to students in schools and target students’ skills for life to support planning for them across each continuum of education.
“The project will build capacity in our schools to meet the transition needs of young people with intellectual disabilities and other complex educational needs and support them to achieve greater independence and participation in society after post-primary education.”
This pilot fulfills the department’s commitment to implementing Action 1.5 of the government’s Comprehensive Employment Strategy for persons with disabilities, to: ‘Develop and demonstrate an approach to transitions for young people with disabilities to improve access to, and opportunities for, post-school options.
The pilot project will be overseen by the National Council for Special Education (NCSE). The target group is young people with intellectual disabilities and other complex educational needs in post-primary and special schools. Their progress will be tracked over two and a half to three years, starting initially with students who are aged 16 in special school settings and those in fifth year in post-primary schools.
Schools will be supported to complete skills audits with students and their families to support the transition process. This process will support students to identify skill gaps and supports that they require, enabling schools to develop an individual transition plan for each student.
Schools will then work with the student to support them to acquire specific key skills that they might need to ensure a positive transition from school.
The department will monitor the progress of the pilot programme with a view to examining its potential for application to other schools.
| School roll number | School name |
| 19373U | St Michael’s House Special School, Raheny |
| 19757P | St Michael’s House Special School, Hacketstown, Skerries |
| 60291D | Ardscoil La Salle, Raheny |
| 60511O | Beneavin De La Salle College, Finglas |
| 60741I | St. Michael's Secondary School, Finglas |
| 60871V | Mercy College, Coolock |
| 76098V | Coláiste Pobail Setanta, Phibblestown |
| 91318U | The Donahies Community School, Grange |
| 70120F | St Finian’s, Swords |
| 18763F | St Michaels House Special School Ballymun |
| School roll number | School name |
| 19201O | Lakeview School, Renmore |
| 20371A | Ábalta Special School, Parkmore |
| 62870G | Presentation College, Athenry |
| 63090I | Holy Rosary College, Mountbellew |
| 71390Q | Archbishop McHale College, Tuam |
| 81012N | Scoil Chuimsitheach Chiarán, An Cheathrú Rua |
| 91414Q | Dunmore Community School, Dunmore |
| 20329B | Scoil Speisialta, Tigh Nan Dooley, An Cheathrú Rua |
| 91498C | Gort Community School, Gort |
| 76096S | Merlin College, Galway |
The National Disability Inclusion Strategy Implementation Plan contained a commitment to publish a Comprehensive Employment Strategy for people with disabilities.
Action 1.5 of the Comprehensive Employment Strategy (CES) is to:
‘Develop and demonstrate an approach to transitions for young people with disabilities to improve access to, and opportunities for, post-school options.’
The CES 2015 - 2024 was developed as a cross-government approach that brings together actions by different departments and State agencies in a concerted effort to address the barriers and challenges that impact on the employment of people with disabilities.
The strategy was developed following detailed interdepartmental discussion, a consultation process with disability interests including input from the Disability Stakeholder Group, and discussion with employer and trade union bodies.
Implementing the strategy requires continuing interdepartmental co-operation and a joined-up approach to supports and services for jobseekers and workers with disabilities. There is also an emphasis on local levels of support for individuals on their journey into and in employment.
People with disabilities are only half as likely to be in employment as others of working age. The reasons for this are complex, and include level of education and skills, fears around loss of benefits, employer know-how, low expectations, and limited re-entry to work following onset of a disability, as well as a higher incidence of ill-health.
The strategy extends across the range of people with disabilities, whatever the kind of impairment – people with physical or sensory disabilities, those with mental health conditions, those who acquire a disability, those with intellectual disabilities and those with autism.
The strategy is an opportunity to address the issues of concern to people with disabilities in a sustained way in key areas such as service provision, accommodation, health, employment, and education. The focus of the strategy includes not only those who are job-ready and have minimal or no support needs, but also those who, given the right supports, can work. A core feature of the strategy is to minimise people becoming jobless in the first case.
Key areas of action are to enhance education, training and pathways into work for young adults with disabilities, and to support people who acquire a disability in the course of their working life to reintegrate into work.