Ms Julie Ahern:

On the point about DEIS and it being a game changer at primary level, the equal participation model has the potential to be that game changer. We have recently commissioned some research about what is going on across Europe and beyond on best practice examples. It is an opportunity to look at putting in place these wraparound services, such as food. One of our members, Ballyfermot STAR, provides food and supports families. These are children whose parents might be experiencing addiction and it is about the supports that can be brought in. There was mention of not being able to access services in the community, but we can bring in services. That is the sort of best-practice model we need to see developed. We have not yet seen the plan showing what this is going to look like. Having it rolled out properly over the next year or two will be very important.

We ran a consultation around this with parents, especially parents who were experiencing different types of disadvantage. I was very struck by what Traveller parents are experiencing. A lot of Travellers would come under this model. They are experiencing very basic issues like not being able to access the NCS forms because they are online. That is a big issue. We know from our members in Galway that there is one education support worker in the whole Galway region for Traveller families and that is for primary all the way up to tertiary education. They are going around to the different sites trying to help people fill in the forms. It would be very easy to put in place a Traveller education worker to support those families. That is just one group of people we spoke to. Looking at some of the bigger issues, like the DEIS model, there is huge opportunity here and any support the committee could give to ensure that plan addresses the issues families are facing will be important.