First SNA Workforce Development Plan to be Presented to Cabinet Today

Education Minister Hildegarde Naughton will present the first-ever Special Needs Assistant (SNA) Workforce Development Plan to Cabinet today. This plan aims to strengthen and support SNAs through enhanced professional development, greater role clarity, workforce sustainability measures, and stronger collaboration across school communities.

The plan, developed over two years of research and consultation with SNAs and their representative bodies, follows earlier contentious plans to cut SNA allocations to approximately 180 schools. These cuts, announced by the National Council for Special Education (NCSE), were reversed after public outrage, with an additional €19 million allocated to ensure schools receiving extra resources still got them in September. The NCSE will review SNA allocations again for the academic year starting September 2027.

Naughton previously promised a longer-term plan, a new circular defining the SNA role, and a redeployment scheme to address tensions. This new plan updates a contested 2014 circular that likened the SNA role to a healthcare assistant. Fórsa, a trade union, expressed hope in February that the plan would address professionalisation, career progression, and recognition for the nearly 25,000 SNAs across primary, post-primary, and special schools.