Sligo Councillors insist ongoing difficulties of SNAs must be rectified

By Philip Rooney, The Sligo Champion

The plight facing Special Needs Assistants (SNA) in relation to securing permanent employment was raised at the February meeting of Sligo County Council by Cllr Marie Casserly.

Her motion called on “The Department of Education to urgently review SNA recruitment and contract practices to increase access to permanent positions, improve transparency and ensure experienced SNAs are given fair and meaningful opportunities for secure employment.”

Addressing the Council Chamber Cllr Casserly stressed, “We all benefit from the invaluable work carried out by SNAs,” adding, “This is not just an employment but an education issue.”

The motion was supported by Cllr Ann Higgins who commented, “SNAs are essential to the effective running of a schools. They should be treated like all other staff members.”

Emphasising the importance of SNAs, Cllr Higgins said, “Students will thank us for this. They are essential, let’s treat them as such.”

Article Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme