I want to raise concerns regarding the future of the WALK PEER programme and the potential loss of vital transition supports when current funding comes to an end in December 2026. The programme supports young people with intellectual disabilities and autism as they move from school into further education, training and employment, helping them to achieve greater independence and better life opportunities.

The programme operates in ten partner schools across the country, including St. Ita’s in Drogheda, St. Brigid’s in Dundalk and Ballymakenny College in County Louth. Through one-to-one support, career planning and ongoing guidance, it helps young people and their families navigate what can often be a challenging transition from school into adulthood. The programme has reported positive outcomes. In fact, I would say the programme has had excellent outcomes, and it has been independently evaluated. Importantly, it does not simply support young people while they are at school.

It also provides transitions support for up to three years after school, helping participants to access and sustain places in further education, training and employment.

While I welcome the Government's investment in the rolling out of a national transitions support service through the National Council for Special Education, NCSE, my concerns lie in the fact that there appear to be no real resources. As far as I can understand it, it is giving special schools additional hours to roll out the programme but it will be the existing staff, who are already stretched and stressed - these wonderful teachers and support staff - who are expected to take on this extra load. Also, it is my understanding that these supports will only exist for those young people in special schools. In County Louth, however, we have seen in Ballymakenny College how a successful pilot has been rolled out in a post-primary setting. Under the new proposals, this will disappear.

Further, I am concerned that a gap remains in the post-schools supports currently provided by the WALK PEER programme. As matters stand, funding is due to end in December, leaving 110 young people potentially affected. This includes 50 participants already progressing through further education, training and employment, and a further 60 school leavers due to transition in 2027. These are not simply numbers. Behind every figure is a young person striving for independence and a family hoping that their son or daughter can realise their full potential.

The issue is particularly important in County Louth. Students attending schools in Dundalk and Drogheda have directly benefited from this programme. Families in our county need certainty that these supports will not disappear at a critical stage in their children's lives. I have previously highlighted my concerns regarding the withdrawal of services. Schools, parents and students have consistently reported positive outcomes from the programme. It has promoted inclusion, supported well-being and helped schools to respond to the increasingly diverse needs they face in the classroom and outside.

The evidence also suggests that the programme represents really good value for money. The estimated cost of WALK PEER is approximately €9,500 to €10,000 per participant compared with an estimated HSE daycare service cost of approximately €15,000 per participant.

There is now a real risk that a significant gap will emerge in these transitions supports. We cannot allow the young people in Louth and across the country to lose momentum at such a critical phase in their lives because of the uncertainty around the funding arrangements. Will the Minister of State commit to reviewing this decision and to exploring a mechanism that would allow these supports to continue with the WALK PEER programme as the lead? Will he also engage with the relevant Departments and agencies to identify a sustainable funding solution, preserve the expertise built up within the WALK PEER programme, and ensure that these young people continue to receive the support they need to access further education, training and employment?

I am grateful to Deputy Butterly for raising this very pertinent and personal issue, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan.

As the Deputy is aware, as part of the National Human Rights Strategy for Disabled People 2025-2030, the Government has committed to the development of a national policy on transitions, which will map out how we support young people completing school into the various pathways for life after school. This work is ongoing and a report is expected by the end of this year.

Over the past four years, the Department of education, in partnership with the NCSE and Walkinstown Association for People with an Intellectual Disability, WALK, has been testing two different approaches to a transitions support model. A teacher-led programme has been operating in 41 special schools as part of the comprehensive employment strategy for disabled people. The WALK PEER ability transitions programme currently supports seven special schools and three post-primary schools in Dublin, Louth, Cork, Cavan and Westmeath and I greatly appreciate the Deputy naming St. Ita's and others. This programme is delivered by careers and employment facilitators who work directly with students in their final two years of school but also support the students for a further three years post school.

Both programmes finished in June, were externally evaluated and were the subject of very positive feedback from all participant schools and stakeholders more broadly. Both evaluations recommended the expansion of a transitions-type model of support to students.

In relation to the WALK PEER model specifically, funding of €2 million has been provided through the Dormant Accounts Fund, DAF, over the past four years to support the programme in the ten schools. The programme is fully funded until December 2026. To provide a continuum of support until June 2027, the Department of education has submitted an application through the DAF 2027 for additional funding and a decision is expected shortly.

In addition, a number of Departments have received a submission from WALK to expand the programme over the next four years. While the outcomes of the programme are positive, the scalability of the model to all special schools over the next number of years is limited relative the scalability of the teacher-led comprehensive employment strategy, CES, transitions model.

Based on the outcomes of both pilot programmes and subject to the total funding available, the Minister, Deputy Naughton, and the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, announced a new transitions support service for all special schools in June this year. The purpose of the new service is to support young people with disabilities as they prepare to move from school into further education, training, employment and other post-school opportunities and pathways. Additionally, the focus of schools’ work can be on supporting transitions into the school. The service is being rolled out to all special schools from this month and will be managed by the NCSE. The service provides each special school with 34 transitions support teaching days per year. This flexible allocation will allow schools to deliver transitions support at the times it is needed most throughout the school year. Prior to the roll-out of this service, there was no guidance allocation to students in special schools. All mainstream post-primary schools already receive an allocation for guidance counselling to provide support to students in line with their needs throughout all stages of the post-primary journey.

That all said, I take very seriously on board the request made by the Deputy on behalf of the school communities and students and will engage directly with the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, and ask him to speak to the Deputy in the forum of a deputation meeting.

I thank the Minister of State. In that reply, there seems to be a bit of light at the end of the tunnel and some hope that funding will be found. We have young people who are halfway through a programme that could suddenly come to an end in December. At the very least, they must be allowed to participate until June in order to finish that course.

The Minister of State mentioned that special schools would come under the wing of the NCSE but what about those post-primary schools that have provided this programme and demonstrated excellent results, like Ballymakenny College in Drogheda? What will happen to them? The Minister of State mentioned that services and resources were provided through counsellors but the key factor of the WALK PEER programme is the expertise. They are there for the last two years that a participant is in school, they are there when school closes and they are there for the young people and their families up to four years after they have left school. That is a vital component and is expertise that we should not lose.

The Minister of State mentioned scalability. The WALK PEER programme acknowledges that there are scalability challenges but it has also suggested a model in which its group can act as a hub where its members' combined expertise, working alongside the school, would allow it to transition successfully over the coming years. Do we honestly believe that teachers and support staff in special schools, whom we know face daily challenges - they are stressed and stretched to the very limit - would, simply by giving them additional hours, be able to roll out the same quality service to these young people? Will they be there when the school closes? Will they be there for the four years after school? I reiterate the calls and thank the Minister of State for taking these questions to the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan.

I am grateful to the Deputy for raising this timely issue. The provision of transitions supports for students in schools is a key priority for the Government, and for the Department more broadly. As outlined, there is a commitment under the National Human Rights Strategy for Disabled People 2025-2030 to work within Government and with others to improve retention rates and progression for disabled children and young people as they deal with transitions within education.

Both pilot programmes have identified the need for a transitions support model for students with disabilities and recognised the importance of interagency collaboration. Both programmes have been welcomed by participant schools and widely considered as hugely beneficial to the sector. The provision of time and staffing to schools has afforded them the opportunity to work directly with students in their final years in school to develop individualised transitions plans. Reports from schools suggest that a dedicated transitions planning programme relates directly to better outcomes for students. The new transitions support service will build on the pilots and should be seen as a first step in providing transitions supports to students.

In March, the Minister announced a €48 million investment in the new DEIS strategy and DEIS plus scheme. Schools in the DEIS plus scheme will benefit from enhanced guidance provision at post-primary school level.

As is quite clear, not all the issues the Deputy raised are able to be addressed at this stage, and she can imagine that a lot of big decisions have to be made in the coming days that will have a direct impact on the future of the service.

However, as has been pointed out by the Deputy and indeed is made quite clear by the Department, the pilot schemes have worked. They have been successful and there is an appetite to build upon them. I have to make sure the budgetary requirements are delivered. I very much look forward to working with the Deputy and the relevant Ministers to make sure that happens.