Special education initiatives

Details of the main special education initiatives announced in Budget 2010.

Initiative	Description
Increasing Provision of Education Support Workers (ESWs) Operating funding 2010/11 $1.100m 2011/12 $1.100m 2012/13 $1.100m 2013/14 $1.100m Four Year Total $4.400m	Education Support Workers (ESWs) are employed to work alongside young children with special education needs in the home, in Early Childhood Education services and in schools. This funding will enable the number of support worker hours to increase by 25%. This increase will strengthen support to Early Intervention services, maintain capacity and capability, and increase flexibility.
Positive Behaviour for Learning Operating funding 2010/11 $5.000m 2011/12 $10.000m 2012/13 $ - 2013/14 $ - Four Year Total $15.000m	A one-off investment of $15 million over two years will enable the Ministry of Education to: train an additional 100 people as Incredible Years teacher trainers, who would deliver the programme to an additional 2,240 teachers per annum. deliver the Incredible Years Parent Programme to an additional 900 families in the first year and 2,150 in the second select community-based providers to be trained to deliver the Incredible Years programme.
Rate Increase for Special Education-funded Teacher Aides Operating funding 2010/11 $1.629m 2011/12 $1.704m 2012/13 $1.704m 2013/14 $1.704m Four Year Total $6.741m	This funding recognises cost increases that schools face in employing teacher aides to support children with special education needs. These teacher aides are funded out of Ministry of Education, Special Education departmental funding.