TRADE UNION FÓRSA has said tweets by the minister for disability on the delay in returning therapists to special schools are “not exactly helpful”.

In a series of tweets yesterday, Minister of State Anne Rabbitte said she had received questions about what’s going on with the return of therapists to special schools.

“Regrettably, the Forsa Trade Union (which represent personnel involved) has issued an instruction of non-cooperation to its members regarding the reinstatement process.

“The Union has advised its members not to cooperate with the re-assignment of staff to provide on-site health and social care supports in Special Schools. Obviously, this instruction has impacted significantly on the HSE’s capacity to progress the first phase of the project,” she tweeted. 

Intensive discussions between HSE and Fórsa are ongoing to address the concerns of its members with regard to this initiative, she said. 

“I’m still hopeful of seeing therapists returned and will consider all options,” she added. 

I've received questions about what's going on with the return of therapists to Special Schools. Regrettably, the Forsa Trade Union (which represent personnel involved) has issued an instruction of non-cooperation to its members regarding the re-instatement process. (1/3)

— Anne Rabbitte TD (@AnneRabbitte) November 2, 2022

A reconfiguration of disability services resulted in therapists being removed from schools with children with additional needs accessing therapies through their local Children’s Disability Network Team (CDNT).

However, parents of children with disabilities criticised the move, stating that it resulted in many children having less access to the therapies they needed, not more, which resulted in the department’s u-turn on the matter. 

On the day of the budget, Rabbitte said €11.5 million was allocated to see 133 therapists put back into special schools, stating that “there was a lot of concern” over the changed system.

However, there have been some criticisms of the plans with concerns raised the plan which will see therapists transferred from their current CDNTs to special schools, resulting in a shortfall in staff at expertise at those attending CDNTs currently. 

In response to the minister’s tweet, Fórsa union told The Journal that negotiations with the HSE, to which the minister referred, are currently at an advanced stage.

“The original proposal was unacceptable to Fórsa as it diverted therapist resources away from where they were needed most.

The union said it “remains confident that our approach can ultimately deliver better for service users, and that’s reflected in the strong support the union has received from parents’ groups”.

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“Fórsa is ultimately focused on solving the outstanding problems here and reaching a solution that delivers a better service.

“The minister’s comments at this point in the process aren’t exactly helpful. The union did reach out to the minister some time ago with an invitation to discuss these issues. Unfortunately, that invitation was never taken up,” it said. 

Speaking in an interview with The Journal in August, Tánaiste Leo Varadkar said the State was falling short in providing supports in schools. 

“Where I think we’re really falling down is around the therapies,” he said, stating that more therapies should be based in the schools.

“To me, it’s a no brainer. And I hope we can make a lot of progress on that soon,” he said at the time.