Ms Aisling Browne:

I am in the fourth year of my five-year term as HSCL in Scoil Mhuire Sóisearach and Ms Gannon is HSCL in the Scoil Mhuire senior school. The HSCL scheme in schools is an extensive one that enhances the life of the school and the lives of families where HSCL is involved. When children enrol in Scoil Mhuire Sóisearach, HSCL is part of the admission team that identifies and refers families who may be in need of extra support.

Home visits help to break down existing barriers, offering supports to parents, and are crucial to bridging the gap between home and school. Sitting at a kitchen table with a father or a mother hearing their deepest concerns and desires for their family is challenging work, but a privilege gifted to us in the role. It is a privilege to be able to listen in a non-judgmental way and offer support. We can offer educational guidance when helping parents accessing extra supports if their child has learning difficulties or behavioural needs.

The dedicated space of a parents' room enables us to chat informally with parents to further create and build open supportive relationships between home and school. This space also lends a hand to creating communities, encouraging relationships between parents to grow so that they can then, as Ms Tobin mentioned, support each other.

Being a parent is a difficult job, especially being a parent who is at home all day as it can be extremely isolating. Many times parents tell us that without the parents' room they would not speak to another adult all day and that their engagement in the parents' room has changed their lives and may have helped them make their first friend in many years.

We offer courses for parents from personal development to literacy and numeracy initiatives, and parenting programmes to increase parental confidence in supporting their child with homework. Engagement in the parents' room has led to a new positive outlook on education. It builds parents' confidence and many return to VTOS or the ETB for classes or courses. This is very positive for parents and children alike.

We organise day trips with parents and they are always thoroughly enjoyable. The Chairman kindly invited us to Leinster House last December. Some of the parents commented that they never thought they would ever be in this building. It is wonderful to be able to facilitate that. In September of this year we brought a group of parents to the National Ploughing Championships. Off we went with our wellies and everything, and we had a wonderful day.

Senator Ruane kindly accepted our invitation to visit us in Scoil Mhuire. She sat for an hour and chatted with the parents, and shared her inspirational life story with them. That was another wonderful opportunity for parents to engage.

Parental engagement with the HSCL increases motivation and encourages desire in parents to become part of their community, building self-confidence and self-esteem. Ultimately all our interventions aim to promote and nurture positive mental health of the adults in our school family. This, in turn, has a positive effect in the home. Parents are the primary educators of their children and their own personal development impacts greatly on a household.

Parents are encouraged, through the HSCL scheme, to engage in classroom activities and initiatives in school: Maths for Fun, Science for Fun, Literacy Lift-off.

Regarding shared reading with the children, children delight in seeing their parents involved in school activities and in their education. Parents engaging positively with school reiterates the benefit of education and encourages the children to engage more and to believe in the power of education. Parents and teachers share a common goal, wanting what is best for our children. Working side by side with parents strengthens our efforts to provide the best we can for them. HSCL enables us to achieve our goals for each child, striving to break the cycle of educational disadvantage. Working collaboratively in an integrated service with schools completion programme and educational welfare officer, we aim to ensure the child, parents and, ultimately, the family engage in a positive manner with education. It remains of paramount importance that it is a qualified teacher who fulfils the role because of the complex nature of individual educational needs and the need to fully understand the curriculum methodologies, etc.

Working in this role in recent years has led me to a deeper understanding of children's situations and what they may have to deal with before they arrive in school at all. I am certain that I will return to the classroom a very different teacher with more realistic aims, though continuing to challenge children to reach their full potential. My time in HSCL has enriched my professional career, deepened my belief in the power of education as well as guiding me to do my best for others when I can.