MLAs meet in Assembly recall despite special school summer schemes U-turn

MLAs have been recalled from their Easter break to discuss concerns around a decision to cancel summer schemes at special schools which was later reversed.

They were scrapped by the Education Authority (EA) last week because of the lack of healthcare provision for children taking part.

But less than 24 hours later, the EA performed a U-turn after the Department of Health agreed to provide nursing support for each of the summer schemes.

It followed a backlash from parents who expressed anger and disgust at the plan to cancel them.

At the time, the Alliance Party tabled a recall petition to allow MLAs to question ministers about the decision. It was supported by Sinn Féin, the SDLP and TUV.

Although the decision was later reversed, the Alliance Party pressed ahead with its motion to bring members back to the Stormont chamber on Tuesday.

It is expected that Education Minister Paul Givan will be questioned about the initial decision and why families were subjected to unnecessary stress and anxiety.

The Department of Health will also come under pressure over the U-turn and how it plans to staff the summer schemes.

Speaking last week, Givan said he deeply regretted the unnecessary anxiety experienced by families and added he was pushing to ensure the "appropriate support was in place not only for the summer schemes but throughout the year".

Alliance deputy leader Eoin Tennyson said the handling of the situation by the two ministers had been "deeply inadequate and frankly incompetent".

"There should never have been such panic and distress caused in the first place".

The DUP has tabled an amendment to the motion calling on Finance Minister John O'Dowd to provide the funding needed to provide care for special needs schools all year round.

It will also question why a plan for capital funding for special needs schools brought by Givan has been blocked from being added to the executive agenda.

Families of children with special needs are attending the Stormont debate, which is expected to last two hours.

Speaking before the debate began, Colleen McConville said she was hoping the recall could provide answers.

Her two sons - Cian and Cillian - both use Lisanally Special School's summer scheme in Armagh.

"Services for our children are always cut, so yes we're grateful it's back on, but it shouldn't have been decided like that out of the blue," she says.

Colleen said there needs to be "long term solutions".

"It's alright to promise things and you're going to try your best or you have good intentions, [but] you need action.

"You can talk until the cows come home but really it needs to be action and what are they going to do about it, and then properly putting things in place is key."

Elena Eke's son David is autistic and has complex needs. With two other children, she said can find it difficult during the summer months without the scheme in place.

"It has been a very, very stressful period for our family," she told BBC News NI.

"For us, the summer scheme is such a vital service throughout the summer where he can have access through the school to loads of things which we are not able as a family to provide," she added.

Elena also questioned what the long-term future of the summer schemes would be.

"Politicians need to do better and our children matter," she said.

Caroline Devenney's son Harry was born with a rare syndrome and attends a special school in south Belfast.

She said everything in Harry's life has been a "fight" so far - from obtaining a school place to getting an SEN statement.

While she's pleased the matter has been resolved, she said it shouldn't have happened in the first place.

"The summer for us, I work, I have a mortgage to pay and there's very little support for children out there for children like Harry," Caroline said.

"So it's an extra stress on top of everything else we have to deal with day in and day out with a disabled child."

Alma White, whose autistic son Caleb is about to leave school, said she was going to Stormont to get answers as many parents are still "at a bit of a loss" about what happened.

"There's lots of questions to be asked, and also there was no forethought to the impact that this would have on families," she told BBC News NI's Good Morning Ulster programme prior to the debate.

"It caused tremendous distress for 24 hours and also it highlights the fact that when parents do stand up, there was a U-turn.

"It begs the question, if you can do a U-turn for that, what else can you do a U-turn on?"

Analysis

On the surface this feels like the political version of a dead rubber soccer match.

Debating a decision which has already been reversed to some will feel pointless.

But for those behind Tuesday's assembly recall there are still many unanswered questions.

Such as how the decision to cancel the scheme was made and then so quickly reversed?

And could families have been spared from so much unnecessary stress?

But in truth, much of the political heat has already evaporated as a result of the U-turn.