Despite Government's best efforts to paint a picture to the contrary, what happened over the last two weeks was not an administrative hiccup. It was a Government-manufactured shambles inflicted upon children who depend on stability and support, children who need the support of an SNA to feel safe, to stay regulated, to participate and to feel like they belong. The Government's letters caused panic and left exhausted parents terrified that the essential supports their children depend upon could simply vanish in September. SNAs were demoralised and schools were scrambling for answers. What did Government offer in response? It offered verbal acrobatics worthy of a three-ring circus while children carried the weight of Government chaos. The Government was willing to preside over children with additional needs struggling to remain in mainstream classes, teachers overstretched and parents in crisis mode until the public backlash became very apparent to everybody in government. Government talks of inclusion but inclusion without support is not inclusion. It is abandonment. SNAs are not optional extras or bureaucratic line items to be trimmed. They are the difference between inclusion and exclusion and between a child thriving in education or just surviving. The lack of respect and appreciation for the job SNAs do is absolutely staggering. The Ministers must get off their hands, get to the table and engage with SNAs, schools and parents. The outdated focus on primary physical care needs must be replaced with a model that takes account of a child's whole needs. As a very proud autism mammy, I ask the Ministers to please stop treating autistic and neurodivergent children as lesser because their needs are arbitrarily classed as secondary. The work of SNAs must be professionalised and valued. Their profession must be respected for the rewarding, although at times very challenging, one that it is. Finally, the Ministers must own this omnishambles and apologise for the chaos they have caused.

Sentiment score: 0.03