Evaluation of the in-school and early years therapy support demonstration project

The purpose of this document is to present the findings from the University College Cork/Mary Immaculate College research team evaluation of the current In-School Demonstration Project as commissioned by the National Council for Special Education (NCSE). The Demonstration Project was established to develop and test a new model for the delivery of in-school and preschool therapy service provision in the Health Services Executive (HSE) Community Healthcare Organisations (CHO) Region 7 (Dublin West, Dublin South West, Dublin South City and Kildare/ West Wicklow), across a range of school and pre-school settings, in conjunction with the HSE. The support provided by the project is intended to supplement and not replace existing and/or planned additional HSE therapy services. The purpose of the Demonstration Project was to focus on developing more significant linkages between educational and therapy supports. The aim was to provide for in-school and pre-school therapy services within a tiered model, which encompasses professional support, training and guidance for school/pre-school staff and parents, amongst other things. The aim of the evaluation project was to measure the impact of this Demonstration Project in the participating 150 schools and Early Learning Centre (ELC) settings.2 This report presents a background to the study, a synopsis of relevant literature analysed, a short description of the methodology employed, an outline of the evaluation findings and a discussion of the implications from this.