Dear members,
Negotiations on the SNAWDP have now finished, and today the Minister submitted a Memorandum to Cabinet, which has endorsed the proposals in the Plan.
Fórsa will now start a consultation process with SNA members to seek your views on the proposals. We will host a series of regional and online information meetings for members in the weeks ahead and then hold a ballot of members.
You will be asked if the proposals should be accepted or rejected in a consultation ballot to take place later in June.
The key elements of the SNAWDP are as follows:
- A new Circular on the role of the SNA which accurately sets out the full range of supports provided by SNAs to students including in areas such as learning and development, emotional regulation and managing challenging behaviour.
- A Redeployment Scheme for SNAs ensuring that if school allocations are reduced SNAs have the option of redeployment to a new school.
- The replacement of the 72 hours with learning and development time which consists of a minimum 10 hours of self-directed learning and development time, and could reach a maximum of 36 hours per annum if the school organises more training. The school is responsible for paying for training, not the SNA. This training includes all mandatory training such as induction, health and safety, and child protection training courses.
- SNAs can be asked to attend staff meetings and policy development meetings up to a maximum of 10 hours per annum, and SNAs can be asked to participate in student centred planning for a minimum of 10 hours per annum.
- The minimal essential qualification will move to a relevant QQI Level 6 programme in stages, with serving SNAs being exempt from further study if they already have a Level 6 qualifications, are close to retirement or have equivalent prior experience and expertise.
- New guidance restricting the ability of schools to bring SNAs into schools in the month of June as attendance will be determined by the availability of appropriate work.
- A commitment to develop SNA Posts of Responsibility to provide a proper career structure for SNAs.
- Centralised Garda Vetting to be rolled out to make life easier for subs and SNAs changing schools.
- New clear advice on how and when to used fixed term contracts of employment.
Allocations
Fórsa has also secured a government commitment that when SNA allocations are reviewed again for the start of the 2027/2028 school year no more than 1 SNA post can be lost in any school. This will be the model for future years. Therefore, the NCSE will not be seeking to remove any more than 1 SNA post after conducting a review, they will be limited to reducing allocations by 1 post only, with affected SNAs able to access the new redeployment scheme.
Allocations will stay as they are for the forthcoming year. The new model will take effect from September 2027.
Local Bargaining offer
Fórsa will also be consulting members on an additional local bargaining offer which consists of an increase to the top of the SNA pay-scale of 1.5% effective from last September, as well as improvements to a number of Special Leave entitlements. This consultation will also be subject to a ballot process alongside the SNAWDP.
Recommendation
The Fórsa Education Divisional Executive Committee (EDEC) met yesterday, Tuesday 2nd June, to consider the proposals and to decide what advice to issue to members.
They decided that, whilst not every objective had been secured through the negotiations, more than enough progress has been made to justify a recommendation that SNA members vote to accept the proposals.
Now, it is over to you, to consider the proposals. Below you will find details of the information meetings and links to a series of documents, from the Department and from Fórsa, designed to explain the proposals. These include Frequently Asked Questions documents and an analysis of the negotiating objectives and outcomes achieved.
Yours,
Andy Pike
Head of Education
The new Circular on the role of the SNA and the associated guidance is available here
A copy of the whole SNAWDP can be found here
A copy of the Redeployment Scheme Circular can be found here
Fórsa SNAWDP analysis of the negotiating objectives
Fórsa FAQs on the Circular on the Role of the SNA are here
Fórsa FAQs on the replacement of the 72 hours and changes to June working are here
Fórsa FAQs on the new Redeployment Scheme are here
Like