Ms Niamh Quinn:

I do not see broadening the Education (Welfare) Act and extending it after 16 as punitive. We would like to see is as a support and acknowledgement that the education of over 16s is equally important as that of those under 16. From my practice experience, the retention of young people after the junior certificate is not a priority. They are not encouraged or supported to remain engaged, particularly if they are presenting with potentially troublesome behaviours.

In Blanchardstown, we have an early school leavers programme for those 12 to 15 year olds who, for whatever reason, are not able to remain in formal education. They are presented with opportunities to improve literacy and numeracy, as well as to complete the junior certificate in a youth work setting. They also receive a range of youth work interventions which look at personal effectiveness, ability to self-regulate and all of those issues which proved to be a problem for them in a mainstream school where they were one in 30.

In the case of over 16s in Dublin 15, they struggle to stay in education and identify pathways into employment. Several years ago, the JobPath programme was developed. I worked on the pilot scheme in Mulhuddart, which involved a group of young mothers between 18 and 21 years of age, none of whom had completed the junior certificate and four out of the five of them had been in care. They were presenting with a wide range of issues. They were a particularly passionate group and engaged fully with it. It was that balance of practical skill, academic knowledge and youth work programmes, which look at confidence, efficacy and self-belief, that enabled those members to go out and look for further education and employment opportunities.

In the case of under sixes, based on my personal practice, youth work is best when it is seen as part of the continuum of care. A young person does not come into existence at ten and fall off the planet at 21. We have to work with service providers for children under ten and we must work with them after they reach 18 or 21 to successfully support those who are most vulnerable to be able to access further services. Again, we will work closely with primary and post-primary home-school liaison officers. Sometimes the home-school liaison officer is the right person to work with the parents. Other times, youth work intervention is most appropriate. Youth work is well placed to work with parents because we engage with them where they are, whether that requires sitting with them in their kitchen or talking to them at their door. For some parents, who may have had a negative experience of education themselves, engaging with the youth worker can be seen as softer engagement piece.

On Deputy Jan O'Sullivan's request to meet young people, again in Blanchardstown, we can provide the committee with many opportunities to meet young people who are currently out of school and those who are still within formal education.