3 months wait for special needs kids

IT takes three months for the Western Education and Library Board (WELB) to certify a child with special needs once they are lucky enough to be assessed by an educational psychologist, Education Minister John O’Dowd has revealed.
By The Newsroom
Published 6th Oct 2012, 10:54 BST

The Minister provided details of the waiting times in response to an Assembly Question.

The figures exclude the time it takes to initially refer a child to an educational psychologist. Mr O’Dowd advised there is no statutory timescale for the provision of support and therefore no maximum waiting time.

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But he revealed that the length of time required to carry out a statutory assessment of special educational needs in WELB was six weeks, which is the shortest length of time in Northern Ireland.

He also revealed that the average waiting time between the completion of a statutory assessment of Special Educational Need (SEN) and a final statement of SEN being issued in WELB was also six weeks, once again one of the shortest waiting times in NI.

The figures relate to statutory assessments completed on or after September 1, 2011, which had statements issued on or before April 30, 2012 and exclude statutory exceptions.

Related topics:John O'DowdNorthern Ireland