Ms Maeve McCafferty:

I thank the committee for the opportunity to be here. The INTO recognises that the HSCL scheme has enhanced pupils' learning opportunities and promoted retention in the education system through a partnership approach between parents and teachers. Often parents of pupils who attend DEIS schools have had a poor experience of education themselves and find it difficult to engage in parental involvement at school level. The HSCL teacher works closely with parents to enable them to better support and encourage their own children in education.

Notwithstanding the success of the scheme, in recent years HSCL teachers have been over-stretched and under-resourced as a consequence of recessionary cutbacks. The scheme needs continued commitment to investment and a renewed vision to ensure it responds to the increasing needs of pupils and families living in challenging contexts. The INTO is hopeful that the educational welfare service within Tusla will offer a renewed commitment to safeguarding and progressing the very valuable HSCL scheme.

The ambitions set out for the HSCL scheme can only be realised when accompanied by targeted and sustainable funding. The HSCL portion of the annual DEIS grant currently stands at 10% and is allocated for the implementation of activities that are consistent with the principles and practices of the HSCL scheme.

However, in order to provide meaningful and targeted supports, more funding should be assigned to DEIS schools to support such worthwhile initiatives.

Since the recessionary cutbacks, professional development opportunities for HSCL teachers have been minimal. The preventative role of the HSCL encompasses a broad remit, including courses, transfer programmes, integration with community groups, policy formation at school level, literacy and numeracy development and staff development to name but a few. Due to the broad and ever-evolving nature of the HSCL role, a commitment to ongoing professional development and opportunities for networking within clusters is required. Professional induction support is also required for newly appointed HSCLs as there is increasing turnover due to the five-year limit on the deployment of HSCL teachers. Adequate induction is important to ensure that consistency, experience and expertise are harnessed. The INTO acknowledges and welcomes the recent commitment by the educational welfare services to a comprehensive CPD programme that is under way. However, in light of the developing nature of the role and the staff turnover within HSCL, the INTO reiterates the need for professional development to be ongoing. While there is some rationale for introducing a five-year limit on the deployment of HSCL teachers, a balance must be achieved to ensure the five-year limit does not result in schools losing experienced teachers who have invested time in establishing strong relationships with families.

While acknowledging the need to enable all teachers to experience the role of the HSCL, the INTO is of the view that schools should be granted the autonomy and flexibility at local level to deploy the best placed teacher to the role of HSCL rather than be confined by a five-year limit. Staff deployment is a function of the school principal as set out in the Education Acts.

The cut to rural DEIS HSCL support is regrettable. Rural DEIS schools have specific needs and would benefit from improved home school links. Arguably, there is a role for HSCL support to build home school relations in all primary schools. The HSCL scheme should be reassigned to all schools recognised as having educational disadvantage status and consideration should be given to extending the scheme to special schools who have particular needs in terms of home school relations.

The level of engagement required to support Travellers needs intervention beyond that which can be incorporated into the current remit of the HSCL role. In an attempt to counteract the loss of resources to Travellers, the INTO proposes that consideration should be given to expanding the allocation of HSCL teachers in areas that have a high concentration of Traveller pupils, including non-DEIS schools. Extending the capacity of HSCL to support Traveller pupils and their families would require specific CPD opportunities for HSCL teachers that would enhance their understanding of Traveller culture and the specific barriers faced by Travellers in education.

Home visitation is an integral part of the HSCL scheme. The nature of home visits has evolved in recent years and HSCL teachers sometimes find it problematic fulfilling the requirement for home visits. Some parents are reluctant to accommodate HSCL visits in the home and prefer school-based visits as the practice of home visits does not always align with their culture. Interactions with parents should be about the contact irrespective of the context. Schools and HSCL teachers need to be trusted with the flexibility and discretion to determine locally whether home or school interactions are most appropriate at any given time.

While the INTO supports the integrated, cross-agency approach to supporting children and their families, it is important to state that HSCL teachers are not social workers or welfare officers and do not want to take on roles for which they are not qualified. Participation of HSCL teachers in Meitheal should not be obligatory. In the event that teachers are involved, they should have the opportunity to do so with the relevant supports in place, such as substitution cover. Any involvement in Meitheal or similar programmes should not involve excessive paperwork for teachers and schools. The INTO is strongly of the view that the role of the HSCL teacher in building lasting relationships between the home and the school is essential in tackling educational disadvantage. Parental involvement, especially in areas at risk of social exclusion, does not just benefit the child and the school; it is a crucial aspect of lifelong learning.

Parental involvement, especially in areas at risk of social exclusion, does not just benefit the children and the school, but is a crucial aspect of lifelong learning.