Latest news with #SNAs
Irish Examiner
06-05-2025
- Health
- Irish Examiner
Government must provide a 'clear timeline' for disability service reform
A 'clear timeline' is needed from the Government on how reforms to services for children with disabilities will be carried out, Senator Laura Harmon has said. The programme for government commits to 'delivering a step change in disability services' and also to 'helping children get the therapies they need'. However HSE data, released to the Labour party last week showed children's disability network teams (CDNTs) are overworked and struggling to get through waiting lists. Ms Harmon, Labour's disability spokeswoman, expressed serious concerns at 'the alarming situation' facing families in the south west. 'Cork and Kerry have the highest regional waiting list and that is for psychology where there was 6,216 on the (national) waiting list at end of 2024 — a total of 5,275 of these were in Cork,' she said. The data shows 'thousands of children' are being 'let down by the State' she said, referring to disability services and primary care services. We need a clear timeline from the minister that sets out measures that will be made available in Cork and nationally to support children with additional needs. 'And there must be a roll-out of much needed in-school therapists, as well ensuring that every child will have a school place in September.' She called for 'urgent action' on the lack of access to these therapies, indicating both Norma Foley, minister for children and disability as well as Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, health minister should be involved. She also raised concerns about occupational therapy waiting lists. Therapists help children with writing skills or sensory processing for example. 'In Cork, there were 3,736 waiting on first time occupational therapy assessments at the end of 2024,' she warned. In addition, she pointed out the data shows 1,410 children waiting on an initial assessment for speech and language therapy in this county alone. 'A further 1,670 were awaiting initial speech and language therapy at the end of 2024 in Cork - the highest regional figure on this waiting list outside Dublin,' she said. Children are also struggling to access audiology sessions where study of hearing, balance, and related disorders takes place. Ms Harmon said: It is very concerning that 2,235 children were waiting on appointments for audiology at the end of 2024 in Cork. HSE Southwest has said they face recruitment challenges for the CDNT The north east Cork CDNT should have the equivalent of 17.2 staff but has 12.6 instead. Other Cork teams face varying challenges, so while some roles are staffed to the approved level, many are not. The situation is similar in Kerry although more roles appear staffed to the approved levels according to HSE data shared with the Irish Examiner last month. Read More SNAs may get better job security under NCSE scheme
Zawya
28-04-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Ahead of Conference of the Parties (COP30), Africa champions new approach to measuring green wealth of countries and incentivizing climate action
Proper valuation of natural capital and the ecosystem services it provides, such as carbon sequestration, is a win-win strategy for growing economies— Urama, African Development Bank ( We need to make bold decisions and act swiftly to accelerate the measurement of Africa's green wealth— Suda-Mafudze, African Union Commission. African leaders are advocating for a new approach to measuring the continent's green wealth, emphasizing that current gross domestic product measures in most African countries are outdated and underestimate their true wealth. They spoke on Thursday at an event hosted by the African Union Commission and the African Development Bank Group at the African Union Mission to the United States on the sidelines of the 2025 Spring Meetings of the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). 'We need to talk the talk and walk the talk. It is time to turn our commitments and pledges into concrete actions,' said Ambassador Hilda Suda-Mafudze, Permanent Representative of the African Union Mission to the U.S. "We need to invest in our systems of national accounts. If we want to have accurate measures of our wealth and create a store of assets, we can leverage them to drive our ambitions of shared prosperity and sustainable development." The event featured discussion of a 2024 African Development Bank Group report that found that including the value of carbon sequestered in African forests only would have resulted in an additional $66.1 billion of GDP for the continent in 2022, an expansion of about 2.2 percent. Professor Kevin Urama, African Development Bank Chief Economist and Vice President presented key findings from the report, Measuring the Green Wealth of Nations: Natural Capital and Economic Productivity in Africa. Leaders emphasized that a proper valuation of Africa's natural resources would transform the continent's financial landscape by unlocking access to global financial flows, improving national risk profiles, and creating new capacity for investments in green economies and climate-resilient infrastructure. This call to action comes ahead of the November UN Climate Change Conference in Belém, Brazil, where African leaders are expected to press for reforms to the global economic and financial infrastructure, so these better reflect Africa's green wealth and sustainability contributions. 'It is time for us to redefine our identity as Africa,' said Nigerien Prime Minister Ali Lamine Zeine in a panel discussion on practical steps towards implementing the 2025 System of National Accounts (SNAs) in Africa. 'Africa is underestimated. We must work strategically to change this.' Panelists noted that several African countries still use SNAs dating back to 1968. SNAs are an international standard system of concepts and methods for national accounts that have been adopted by most countries worldwide. Madagascar's Minister of Economy and Finance Rindra Rabarinirinarison called for more robust technology transfer and technical capacity building to enable African countries to build proper statistical systems for natural capital. She outlined that Madagascar has launched pilot projects to leverage and measure the value of its natural resources. 'Madagascar is a rich country but not rich,' she lamented, pointing to the country's abundant natural resources. Erich Strassner from IMF's Statistics Department described the report as transformational and assured that the Fund was ready to work with the African Development Bank, the World Bank, and governments to implement its recommendations. He emphasized the need to focus on priorities in each country, 'so that together we can put together a plan to bring each country up to speed on the new system of national capital evaluation.' Quoting African Development Bank figures, Ambassador Suda-Mafudze observed that if countries rebased their GDP based on carbon sequestration by forests alone, the impact would be substantial, with estimated GDP increases of 38.2% in Côte d'Ivoire, 36.7% in Benin, and 33.5% in Niger. 'We need to ensure a proper valuation of Africa's green wealth. When we know the value of this significant asset base and incorporate its true value into our national accounts, we improve our economies' risk profiles and enhance access to financial flows for financing our development,' the Ambassador said. In his presentation, Vice President Urama pointed to the massive economic value of Africa's natural resources—estimated at $6.2 trillion in 2018—and the fact that the continent accounts for 26% of global forest-based carbon capture despite contributing only 4% of global carbon emissions. "Africa's green wealth and the important global public goods and ecosystem services it provides to the world are often overlooked in economic valuations," Urama said. "This significantly underestimates African countries' gross domestic product, despite abundant green wealth." He said that in addition to natural capital, ecosystem services and informal economic activities were also not factored into GDP. Revaluing these assets through Natural Capital Accounting (NCA) and the updated System of National Accounts, which includes the informal sector, could significantly increase Africa's GDP and improve access to sustainable finance, Urama noted. 'This is not just about correcting statistics. It's about ensuring comparability of the measures of countries' GDP in Africa and globally. By updating the System of National Accounts in countries, we can ensure that the basket of goods and services included in the measure of GDP of countries is the same, and avoid comparing oranges and apples,' Urama said He called on African countries to allocate appropriate budgets to upgrade their National Accounting Systems and rebase their GDPs, noting that 'this is a smart investment that can deliver low-hanging fruit.' The Executive Secretary of the African Economic Research Consortium, Prof. Victor Murinde, described the new model developed by the African Development Bank as transformative. "It is a bold step to address a methodological gap in how the GDP of countries is measured to consider the true wealth of nations. Its recommendations provide rich materials for economists to work on in the coming years to improve the methodology for assessing the wealth of nations," he remarked. The African Development Bank expressed a commitment to work with the World Bank, the IMF, and other partners to implement the recommendations of the report. It is also advancing practical steps that include creating standard methods to value natural resources, connecting environmental goals with other policies, training local experts across Africa, and helping African countries sell their environmental benefits in worldwide carbon markets. The Bank Group will also host the African Natural Capital Accounting Community of Practice Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Development Bank Group (AfDB). Click here for photos: Click here for the report: Media contact: Emeka Anuforo Communication and External Relations Department media@ About the African Development Bank Group: The African Development Bank Group is Africa's premier development finance institution. It comprises three distinct entities: the African Development Bank (AfDB), the African Development Fund (ADF) and the Nigeria Trust Fund (NTF). On the ground in 41 African countries with an external office in Japan, the Bank contributes to the economic development and the social progress of its 54 regional member states. For more information:
Irish Times
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Irish Times
School secretaries to strike in September unless pensions issue resolved, union warns
School secretaries and caretakers will 'not be back in school in September' unless they are promised access to public service pensions, the country's largest public service union has warned. Fórsa , which represents about 18,000 school secretaries, caretakers and specials needs assistants (SNAs), held its annual education conference in Galway on Thursday. The union's head of education, Andy Pike, said that while school secretaries fought and won the right to be included on the Department of Education payroll , they continue to be denied access to the public service pension scheme. 'The simple message to schools and the Department of Education is that secretaries and caretakers will not be back to school in September if pensions are not dealt with over the summer,' Mr Pike said. READ MORE Delegates at the conference passed a motion proposed by the union's school secretaries branch to ballot members for an 'all-out indefinite strike', commencing at the end of August, unless there is progress regarding pensions access. Meanwhile, the union welcomed the Government's announcement of a redeployment scheme for SNAs , enabling them to move to a different school rather than having to take redundancy if the number of SNA posts in their school is reduced. Responding to the announcement, Noreen O'Mahony, chair of Fórsa's education division, said the new scheme is long overdue and brings SNAs a step closer to the full professionalisation of their role. 'We've been able to develop the SNA role through a series of negotiations over the last 20 years, which has established the SNA role as an integral feature of the school environment,' she said. 'That is significant, because it has changed the way we educate and socialise young people with additional education needs. However, the challenge remains to ensure that supported school places are available to everyone [who] needs them.' Mr Pike added that redeployment has been one of the issues under discussion as part of the SNA workforce development plan and is linked to the ongoing review and discussions on a new SNA national contract. He said a ballot of the union's SNA members would take place on the outcome of those discussions, which will cover the new national contract, a new minimum qualification, career progression opportunities and training opportunities. The process is due to be completed by September. The union also released details of a survey of its education members. It revealed high numbers – mostly SNAs – have been assaulted while in school. Nearly half of those said they had no support with medical expenses, while nearly half also said their employer was not supportive. Most did not receive counselling.
RTÉ News
24-04-2025
- Politics
- RTÉ News
Scheme to redeploy SNAs to vacant posts 'seismic'
Special Needs Assistants will be redeployed to vacant posts from next September as part of a new scheme announced by Minister for Education Helen McEntee. The Fórsa trade union has described the move as "seismic", saying it will provide certainty to thousands of workers. More than 23,000 SNAs are employed in national and secondary schools around the country. The announcement means they will not be made redundant if the number of posts allocated to a school changes, instead becoming eligible for redeployment elsewhere. Ms McEntee told the Fórsa Educational Division conference that this would enhance services for children with significant care needs, as well as improve conditions for SNAs. The union has welcomed the development but says further improvements are needed when it comes to pension provision for others in the education sector, including secretaries and caretakers. Delegates have approved proposals to hold a ballot on industrial action in the event there is no movement in this regard shortly.
The Journal
24-04-2025
- Politics
- The Journal
Special Needs Assistants who lose positions in a school to benefit from redeployment scheme
SPECIAL NEEDS ASSISTANTS who lose their jobs due to falling enrolment or reduced care needs will soon be able to be redeployed to a school which has a vacant post. Special needs assistants (SNAs) support pupils who have care needs resulting from a disability, behavioural difficulties or a significant medical issue. They are allocated to schools to work with children who have specific care needs and they provide non-teaching care support. Principals and/or board of managements deploy SNAs within schools to ensure that students with the greatest level of need receive the greatest level of supports. There are over 23,000 SNAs working in schools across the country. Education Minister Helen McEntee and Minister of State with responsibility for Special Education and Inclusion, Michael Moynihan, today confirmed that work is underway on a redeployment scheme for SNAs. Advertisement The SNA Redeployment scheme will allow SNAs in posts which may no longer be required for reasons such as falling enrolments, reduced care needs or changing demographics to be redeployed to a school which has a vacant post. The scheme will be operated by the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) and its CEO John Kearney remarked that it will 'not only facilitate allocation of SNA support where it is most needed but will also build capacity in the SNA workforce'. 'The scheme ensures valuable skills are not lost as the level of need shifts between schools,' said Kearney. Minister McEntee meanwhile said it is 'crucial that experienced SNAs can be redeployed to a school where a vacant post arises, allowing them to stay in the sector and ensuring they can continue to share their skills and experience'. She added that the scheme will 'increase job security for SNAs, and encourage prospective SNAs to enter the workforce'. 'Crucially, the scheme will benefit children and school communities by ensuring that the SNA workforce is agile, and in a position to respond to emerging needs,' said McEntee. Elsewhere, Minister Moynihan said the scheme will 'further bolster how we support children and schools by ensuring SNAs can stay within the workforce and do what they do best in supporting children with additional needs'. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
