An association for people with an intellectual disability is calling on the Education Minister Richard Bruton to "act urgently" to regulate and reduce restraining and secluding children with disabilities in schools.

Inclusion Ireland says some children as young as five are being subject to the practice.

A discussion document, 'Shining a Light on Seclusion and Restraint in Schools in Ireland', has been produced to share the stories of 14 children with a disability.

The document was launched Wednesday at a seminar in Dublin.

The parents of the 14 children describe them being physically restrained, isolated or secluded by adults during the school day.

One parent describes how her child had their head held down between their knees for 20 minutes during a bus journey, another child was locked in an unattended room for up to five hours and another was left unsupervised in seclusion for long periods - despite a history of seizures.

Inclusion Ireland says it is concerned that despite being asked by the National Council for Special Education on three occasions, the Department of Education has "failed to provide best practice guidelines or to introduce reporting and monitoring protocols."

It adds that in the absence of these, "the true extent of the current scale of the issue is unknown".

Inclusion Ireland CEO Paddy Connolly is pictured at Buswells Hotel, Dublin in 2002 | Image: Photocall Ireland

'Failing children with a disability'

Paddy Connolly is the CEO of Inclusion Ireland.

"The rights and welfare of children should be at the centre of all that happens in schools.

"On the issue of managing the use of seclusion and restraint, best practice includes support and training for staff, whole of school positive behaviour strategies, school leadership and external inputs such as child mental health or disability services.

"It is unfair on teachers and a neglect of children's developmental and welfare needs that the department continues to ignore this issue.

"Seclusion and restraint should be a matter of last resort.

"It leaves teachers exposed, isolates parents and adversely impacts on the mental health and education of the children concerned."

"Ireland's record in relation to children with disabilities in general is shameful, whether it's the disarray of the assessment of need system, their exclusion from personalised budgets or failures in the education system, it's true to say that this Government is failing children with a disability."

Inclusion Ireland has made a number of recommendations - including that the Department of Education take steps to ensure that seclusion and restraint become a matter of last resort, measures are taken to include guidelines and monitoring to tightly prescribe the use of seclusion and restraint, and there is training to monitor, support and supervise staff using restrictive practices.