Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) play a vital part in the lives of pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). The current lack of centralised Garda Vetting makes it very hard for SNAs to work in schools, as at the minute they have to vetted for every single school they might want to work in. This means that schools can often struggle to get a substitute SNA since the SNA is not vetted for their school (even if they are vetted for the exact same role in other schools), resulting in pupils missing out on important educational supports. If other professionals can have centralised vetting, like how teachers have universal vetting through The Teaching Council, why can SNAs not have the same option? Centralised vetting would also help to reduce the amount of time and resources that school management members would have to spend preparing SNA vetting paperwork for SNA staff. Even if a nationwide organisation was set up to manage the centralised vetting of SNAs, most SNAs would appreciate being part of a group where they can connect with other likeminded SNAs and peers. The role of an SNA is often misunderstood and overly simplified by people, so it would be a nice acknowledgement of the importance of their everyday work with SEND pupils. Thank you for taking the time to read this, hopefully it will result in the introduction of centralised Garda Vetting for SNAs in the near future! Amy Reynolds *I am a qualified Special Needs Assistant (SNA), Teaching Assistant (TA) and Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) teacher. I am passionate about education, particularly inclusive education, and the benefits it brings, especially for pupils with SEND. I myself have struggled to get opportunities to work as an SNA (even as a substitute) as my vetting for other settings would not cover me for that particular school. I now work in pharmacy and am completing an apprenticeship pharmacy technician style course. I would like my future work to combine education and pharmacy / healthcare*

  No child should be left without the care they need to grow, learn, and thrive — yet across Donegal and Ireland, children with disabilities have been forgotten. Families have waited years, sometimes a decade, for essential services like occupational therapy, speech therapy, and early intervention. My own child has gone without occupational therapy for the past two years, with only 4–5 appointments in the last ten years. This is not an isolated case — it’s a nationwide crisis. By joining this campaign, you are standing up for every child who has been denied the opportunity to reach their full potential. You are giving a voice to parents who have been fighting, unheard, for the care their children deserve. And you are demanding accountability and immediate action from the government to fix this failing system. Together, we can push for real change — increased funding, reduced waiting lists, and a future where no child is left behind. Your support can make the difference between years of neglect and a system that truly serves the most vulnerable in our communities. Let’s fight for their future — because every child matters.

Here’s why you should sign: ✅ Hold Politicians Accountable – If an elected official ignores their campaign promises or fails to take action on critical issues, voters should have the power to respond before the next election. ✅ Strengthen Democracy – Other democracies like the US, Canada, and parts of Europe already allow citizens to recall politicians. Ireland should modernise its system to give people a stronger voice. ✅ Ensure Promises Are Kept – Campaigns should not be built on empty promises. If politicians know they can be recalled for inaction, they will have a stronger incentive to follow through on their commitments. ✅ Empower Citizens – Democracy doesn’t stop at the ballot box. Irish voters deserve a mechanism to ensure they are truly represented throughout a politician’s term. Signing this petition is a step toward real accountability in Irish politics. Let’s make sure our leaders work for the people—not just for re-election. Sign now to demand change!

This is a human rights issue:   A recent ERSI report highlighted the basic inequalities in the provision of Personal Assistants across the country. Ranging from differences of approach to completely inadequate resource allocation depending on on where people live. Most damming of all is that if you are over 65 you will not be considered for a PA ; a clear case of discrimination. We are asking you to sign this petition to get the government to take immediate action. 

The Late Late Toy Show is more than just a TV program—it’s a beloved Irish tradition that brings families together to celebrate the magic of childhood. For many children, it’s the most anticipated night of the year, a chance to see toys, hear stories, and experience the joy of Christmas kicking off. However, the current 9:30 PM start time is simply too late for most young children. By then, many are too tired to fully enjoy the show or can’t stay up at all. This leaves parents torn between letting kids miss out on the excitement or allowing them to stay up and face the consequences of a late night. Moving the Toy Show to 7 PM would: • Allow children to fully participate in this iconic event without sacrificing their sleep. • Create magical family moments for parents and kids to share together. • Honor the tradition of the Toy Show as a celebration for all ages, ensuring that no one feels excluded. This is about making a small but meaningful change that aligns with the Toy Show’s mission of joy, connection, and inclusivity for all Irish families. Let’s make it happen!

A once in a lifetime achievement, recognition should be rewarded with this small reward in her hometown.

So Ireland can have an even better and yet more efficient healthcare system. Because when patients get admitted to hospital for being sick or injured which is not their fault and they get billed, most of them usually hire a lawyer so they can get reimbursed which is a hassle, time wasting and can cost even more money. I strongly believe that the government is capable and has the money to cover the healthcare for all the residents in Ireland because the employees who work pay income taxes regularly but not only that, the items we buy in shops and the food and drinks we order from restaurants, cafés, pubs, etc all have taxes on them which go to the government upon purchase. In Ireland, public healthcare should be free and ONLY private healthcare should be paid for.

My name is Jaime Noonan, I am 25 and suffer with my mental health.  I am still fighting to try and get the right support to allow me to function and live my life.  The current support available is not adequate and has not been for years. Under trained GPs, meeting a different junior doctor each time, medication not being monitored correctly and adjusted, year + long waiting lists for therapy and counselling. Being sent home the same day after suicide attempts with no support. It is not working or enough. We need GPs and health professionals to have a better understanding of mental health along with training, better medication monitoring, more frequent appointments and immediate access to quality supports and therapy. Specialised A&Es and better community supports also.  It is possible and it is needed.  No one should ever have to feel as though suicide is their only choice.  I hope you will join me in my fight to reform and revolutionise the current system.  Thank you. 

Many people in society have difficulties navigating often long and pointless automated systems when they are trying to get help in relation to essential services. The private companies, providing these public services have completely stripped back their customer care teams and have implemented difficult to navigate systems. Often times the systems are set up to discourage customers from reaching a human representative in order to keep their cost low and profits high.  For some of us this is a mere inconvenience and we are either tech savvy enough to figure out how to resolve our issue online, or we stick it out and speak to a human representative. However for many these systems often stops people from getting the help they need.  This is an issue that has a bigger impact on older members of society, often used to being able to go to a local branch to sort out an issue, are now faced with complicated systems that stop them from getting the assistance they need.  Any company that is providing a public service, should have accessible help lines for those who need them. 

As the two family representatives who recently stepped down from the Service Improvement Board and working groups for the Progressing Disabilities Roadmap, we requested a meeting with Minister for Disability, Anne Rabbitte. In our meeting, we discussed various issues and agreed that we must urgently review the Progressing Disability Services (PDS) model. We believe this review is crucial to ensure that the services for children with disabilities are effective, inclusive, and respect their rights as outlined in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). We will not accept a system that fails to acknowledge the inherent dignity and humanity of children, families, and staff. We urge that the review of Progressing Disabilities be led by stakeholders, including families, people with disabilities, staff, and representative organizations. Let’s come together to assess what is working, what isn’t, and what needs to happen next to shift towards a human rights framework for children in Ireland.  The time has come for us to lead the change we want to see. We have waited long enough, and our children simply do not have the luxury of time. Many challenges in disability services can prevent children with disabilities from having their rights and voices heard. By advocating for a stakeholder-led review, we aim to evaluate the effectiveness of current services, identifying best practices and areas for improvement. Our goal is to ensure that the views and rights of children and their families are prioritized, leading to fairer and more accessible support for everyone. To make meaningful change happen, we are seeking your support to help build a strong coalition that advocates for the rights of children with disabilities and promotes a culture of inclusion and understanding.

People are struggling to get around because our footpaths are in such a state. This is an accessibility issue, and councils must take it more seriously.

Prior to April 2023 an Enduring Power of Attorney (EPA) only needed to be registered in the event that the person who created it subsequently lost mental capacity.  Approximately 1,200 EPAs were registered each year up to 2022.   It is estimated that only 15% of EPAs created under that old system subsequently required to be registered, which would mean that approximately 8,000 EPAs would have had to have been created each year to produce the figure of 1,200 registered, or 670 a month. In April 2023 the Decision Support Service (DSS) was established and the system for creation of EPAs was radically changed.  It was expected this new system would enable wider uptake of EPAs by the public and ensure greater protection of vulnerable people as they age.  However, as of 28 February 2024, it was stated in answer to a parliamentary question that only 697 EPA applications had been submitted to the DSS for registration in its first ten months of operation, roughly what would have been created in one month under the old system. In other words 10 times less than before.   The new system intended  to increase the number of people with EPAs has resulted in a collapse in the numbers being created  in contrast with the old system which worked very well.  The problem is an online platform  imposed on the creation of EPAs  by the DSS which does not enable a professional adviser to access the platform on behalf of anyone wishing to have their assistance with the creation of the documentation to ensure that it is done correctly. Anyone wishing to have professional assistance in the creation of an EPA via a digital platform should be facilitated in doing so and is entitled to have their professional adviser access the system on their behalf  to advise and assist in preparing what can be complicated and profoundly important documents with serious legal consequences. Revenue’s online ROS system allows a tax adviser to prepare and file returns for a taxpayer. The Injuries Resolution Board’s web-portal allows an agent to prepare an injury claim on behalf of a claimant. The Land Registry, the Companies Registration Office and others all do likewise.  The DSS platform does not and that needs to be fixed urgently  to allow people who want help from their professional advisers in creating an EPA to get it by providing professional advisers with access to the new online platform on behalf of anyone wishing to have their assistance. This is a change required to fix the system for creation of EPAs that can and should be made immediately to end this crisis in the creation of  EPAs which is causing serious problems for vulnerable people who need to have them in place. We are signing this petition to ask the Minister for State to fix this problem as soon as possible.