Celebrating partnership and involvement in Special Schools

Education Minister Paul Givan and Health Minister Mike Nesbitt opened a conference to celebrate the first year of a jointly-funded Special Educational Needs and Disability Partnership project which is delivered by the Public Health Agency (PHA). 

The conference showcased the work of the ‘Special School Community Partnerships’ pilot involving seven Special Schools from across Northern Ireland. 

The partnerships involve those working in education, health, local government, statutory agencies and the voluntary and community sector. 

The pilot project demonstrated the benefits of supportive and collaborative networks across local areas with the joint aim to improve outcomes for pupils in each of the Special Schools involved.

Julie McGinty, Health and Education Partnership Lead for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities at the PHA, said: “Our vision is that Special Schools become visible, vibrant and connected hubs within our local communities. Our aim is that places, spaces and services will be equipped to include all children and young people in every aspect of daily life.

“The collaborative approach has brought new opportunities and a sense of community to the schools and their pupils and I hope this work can be rolled out to include all Special Schools.”

Minister of Education Paul Givan said: “Placing our special schools at the heart of their communities and connecting them with local statutory services, councils and the voluntary and community sector has been key to the success of this project. 

“Joint working is vital as we move forward to improve outcomes for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities as it will only be through increased collaboration and partnership work that we ensure that all our children and young people are happy, learning and succeeding.”

Health Minister Mike Nesbitt said: “This partnership project provided the opportunity to try something new, to test approaches, to take risks, and to ultimately define the model for collaborative working in the years ahead. It has highlighted the success of co-operation across children’s services and the importance of engaging with a wide range of cross-sectoral stakeholders, including children, young people and parents. 
 
“It is important that we continue to invest in collaborative approaches to proactively and creatively seek to engage the voice of children and young people with Special E

Educational Needs and their families. We need to ensure that the success of this project becomes business as usual, and not just a one-off.”

The seven Special Schools involved in the pilot included, Ardnashee, Hill Croft, Brookfield, Arvalee, Donard, Glenveagh and Clarawood. The conference featured the voices of children and young people with complex and profound disabilities, voices that are ‘seldom heard’.

Through the medium of Art, Music and Play Therapy funded by the PHA, their voices were listened to and heard. The event showcased the ground-breaking work that let delegates hear the voices of the child and parents through videos and presentations.

The conference also heard from school principals who took part in the pilot who described the impact the project has had on their pupils, staff and wider stakeholders. 

Miranda Brown, parent of one of the young people who participated, said: “Art Therapy was the safe, personal space my son needed. When he brought home his folder of work and shared it with us as a family, it gave us confirmation of what and who he found important in his life, instead of us trying to guess. The work he did with his Art Therapist without question, helped him deal with the unexpected death of his beloved dog Tilly.”

Geraldine Teague, Interim Head Allied Health Professionals (AHP) and Deputy Director at the PHA, said: “Health and Social Care has demonstrated that involvement, co-production and partnership working improves outcomes for service users, carers and for the organisations involved. A wealth of experience, knowledge and skill in involvement approaches has been developed already, that can benefit the future planning processes in the provision of Special Educational Needs and Disability services and Special Schools.

“The interventions demonstrated in this pilot has led to a range of positive outcomes including - supporting the emotional health and wellbeing of the young people involved, improving their engagement in the school environment and providing the education team with additional tools and skills to support the children on a day to day basis.  
“It is important that time is set aside for these young people to have fun, to communicate with their peers, to have their voices heard and to have opportunities to make meaningful choices.

“The inspirational day ended with a spectacular and energetic performance by, ‘The Lightening Bolts’, with pupils from Glenveagh Special School, which was a fitting end to the celebratory event and had the audience on their feet dancing!”