Education (Leave for Injuries) Bill 2025: Second Stage Seanad Éireann — 2026-02-18 ============================================================ Ollie Crowe (FF), Industrial and Commercial Panel I welcome the Minister, Deputy Naughton, to the Chamber. I especially welcome Sophie, Shane and everybody in the Gallery. Senator Shane Curley cannot be here this evening, so I will speak on this topic. The Senator was a teacher prior to his election last year and I spoke to him while preparing these words in order to benefit from his extensive experience in the sector. I have also spoken to teachers and SNAs, particularly those in special education settings. The picture they describe is clear: the demands of the job have intensified and the number of incidents involving injury to staff has increased significantly in recent years. We are talking about professionals who go to work every day to support children, many of whom have complex additional needs, and do so with enormous dedication and compassion. We must also acknowledge the difficult truth that injuries occur, including bruising, biting, hair pulling, physical strikes and, in some cases, far more serious harm requiring hospital treatment. For a small but important number of staff, the consequences are not short term. Some are living with long-term or even permanent injuries. Others experience psychological trauma, including anxiety and post-traumatic stress, whether from being assaulted or witnessing serious incidents involving colleagues. This debate is not about blame. The vast majority of educators are deeply committed to the pupils they support. They are the first to say that children, particularly those with additional needs, must never be stigmatised. However, recognising the complexity of the classroom cannot mean minimising the impact on staff when injuries occur. The existing leave of absence following assault scheme provides three months, or 92 days, of paid leave in a rolling four-year period. It is extendable, in exceptional circumstances, to a maximum of six months, or 183 days, at full pay. Any additional absence reverts to the sick leave scheme. When introduced, this was a meaningful recognition that assault-related injury is not ordinary illness. However, concerns have been raised that the fixed time limits do not always align with medical certification. If a staff member is medically unfit to return to work beyond the current threshold, there is an argument that paid leave should reflect the full certified recovery period, rather than automatically reverting to standard sick leave provisions. There is also the issue of immediate costs. At present, the scheme does not cover medical expenses arising from an assault. Many believe that where an injury is sustained in the course of employment, the injured staff member should not be left covering upfront medical costs. In addition, there is a strong case for ensuring structured access to psychological and specialist supports as a core part of the response, not simply as an add-on. Another consistent concern is parity between teachers and SNAs, as SNAs, particularly at primary level, are frequently at the front line in supporting pupils with high care needs. Any scheme must treat teachers and SNAs equally and transparently. The principle of equal treatment is fundamental. There is also the difficult question of long-term incapacity. In rare but serious cases where a staff member cannot return to work due to permanent injury, early retirement provisions may need to be examined to ensure fairness and dignity. These are not radical proposals. They are grounded in workplace equity. Recent publicly reported data indicates a significant increase in assault-related leave in recent years, including a marked rise since 2022 and hundreds of cases in a single year. That trend demands a measured response. It is important to remember that boards of management are the legal employers of teachers and SNAs and have statutory obligations under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005. Risk assessments, safety statements and preventative measures must remain central. The Health and Safety Authority has oversight responsibilities in this area. Alongside this, the occupational health strategy, including the 24-hour employee assistance service and access to counselling, provides important supports. However, the existence of support structures does not negate the need to review whether the assault leave scheme itself remains fit for purpose. Fianna Fáil will not oppose this Bill because it provides an opportunity to review and, where appropriate, strengthen the framework. The Department has already commenced a review of the scheme in consultation with education partners, including unions and management bodies. Any changes must be agreed through that process and approved within the public expenditure framework. That is responsible governance. Responsible governance also means listening, examining the evidence and ensuring that policy reflects the lived realities in schools today. If paid leave needs to align more closely with medical certification, that should be examined. If medical costs require clearer coverage, that should also be examined. If psychological supports need stronger statutory footing, that needs to be done. If language within the scheme can be improved to better reflect compassion and dignity, that too should be examined. Our teachers and SNAs work in increasingly complex environments. They do so with professionalism, patience and care. When they are injured in the line of duty, fairness must be the guiding principle. This Bill allows us to have that discussion in a structured way. It allows us to consider whether the balance between protection, sustainability and prevention is correctly struck. Fianna Fáil will engage constructively. We will not oppose the Bill and we will work to ensure that any changes strengthen both staff protection and the integrity of the education system as a whole. Supporting educators when they are harmed while doing their job is not controversial; it just must be done. --- Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted. Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-02-18/debate/main Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:39+00:00 Sitting date: 2026-02-18