U-turn over decision to cancel special school summer schemes

Summer schemes at special schools will go ahead this year despite the Education Authority (EA) saying on Thursday that they would be cancelled.

The EA said they were to scrap the schemes due to "concerns about the adequacy of health care provisions" for children taking part.

It led to outrage from parents, and assembly members were recalled from their Easter break to discuss the issue on Tuesday.

But the EA has now said that following engagement with their organisation and the Departments of Health and the Department of Education "nursing support will be made available at each special school summer scheme site".

In a statement, the EA said: "This represents a workable solution that will enable special school summer schemes to be held this year."

"The overriding priority of everyone concerned remains the safety and well-being of children and young people, and EA will continue to work with special school principals to urgently prioritise planning for the summer schemes," they added.

They also said: "Engagement will also continue on developing and embedding a robust and stable model for year-round health care provision for special schools."

Earlier, on Friday, the Education Minister Paul Givan said he asked the EA to explore its options.

A recall petition tabled by the Alliance Party had been supported by Sinn Féin, SDLP and the TUV.

Previously, the EA said the summer schemes would not go ahead due to "concerns about the adequacy of health care provision for vulnerable participating children".

The Department of Health had said earlier that the decision by the EA was "highly regrettable".

Members were planning on meeting on Tuesday to discuss the issue, the Northern Ireland Assembly confirmed.

Fiona Forrest's six-year-old son Ted is autistic and went to a summer scheme last year.

Speaking after the U-turn was announced, she said she wants the ministers to know "they haven't got a clue of what it is to live this life".

Speaking on Radio Ulster's Evening Extra programme, she said they do not know "what it is for families like ours", adding: "There are many, many families in Northern Ireland that are in our situation, that are housebound really in any sort of holiday period."

She said she did not sleep on Thursday night because she was so worried about what she would do this summer.

"By making those decisions that are so insignificant to them really, because they can be turned around in 24 hours, that they're just pushing our families to the very, very edge."

"There's not much more they could do to us to make us feel any worse than they currently are," she added.

The Education Minister Paul Givan said he had been working on the issue for a number of months, engaging with the EA who had taken the decision not to proceed with the summer schemes.

He said: "I just want to say to those families that I deeply regret the circumstances by which over the last 24 hours they have had this unnecessary anxiety."

"But I do want to be able to assure them that I very much am pushing that we do have the appropriate supports in place not only for the summer schemes but throughout the year," Givan added.

Sinn Féin MLA Danny Baker welcomed news that the schemes will now go ahead.

In a statement, he said: "This u-turn will come as a huge relief to parents and vulnerable children who rely heavily on this vital service and can now rightly look forward to it this summer."

He called on the the education and health ministers "to explain who made this decision, why, and a guarantee that the same mistake will never again be repeated".

The Alliance Party's Deputy Leader Eóin Tennyson said it was "positive news, but added that "there should never have been such panic and distress caused in the first place".

He said the handling of the situation by the two ministers has been "deeply inadequate and, frankly, incompetent".

The Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) Opposition Education Spokesperson Cara Hunter said: "It is not right that some of our most vulnerable young people were caught up in a game of political brinkmanship.

"People will rightly ask how we could be in a situation where what was described as impossible one day has been delivered the next, following public pressure."

The charity Sense, which supports disabled children with complex needs, said they are "deeply relieved".

Martin Walls from the charity said: "Many distressed families with disabled children have been calling Sense, worrying about how they would cope without summer schemes – so there will be widespread relief that the government has listened and reversed this decision."

Before the decision was reversed, Rhonda Carey, a mum of four children with special educational needs, said parents should have been consulted ahead of Thursday's announcement and said families were being "stripped" of respite.

"We weren't even asked for any input, any feedback, there was no alternative solution put in place," said Rhonda.

"It came as a terrible shock to people yesterday," she told BBC Radio Ulster's Talkback programme.

She also said that more should be done to help families regarding respite, in rural areas such as County Fermanagh and County Tyrone.

"Everything is being stripped away and it leaves parents and carers to deal with the repercussions, absolutely shocking."

Analysis by BBC NI's political editor Enda McClafferty

As U-turns go this one was rapid and for good reasons.

Less than 24 hours after cancelling the summer schemes for children with special needs, the Education Authority backtracked and confirmed they will now go ahead as planned.

All of sudden a solution was found to ensure the nursing support will be made available at each summer school.

The turnaround was triggered by the political storm when news of the cancellation first broke.

It was no longer a matter for the civil servants behind the scenes it was now a priority for their political masters.

The education and health ministers instructed their departments to search out a solution double quick in the face of mounting anger from frustrated families.

It is still unclear as to how the extra nursing resources were found so quickly and will all summer schools get the clinical staff they need.