James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue.

As the Deputy knows, the school completion programme aims to retain young people in the formal education system until their completion of the senior cycle and to improve generally their school attendance, participation and retention in education. The programme is a targeted intervention aimed at those school communities that are identified through the action plan for educational inclusion of the Department of Education and Skills, DEIS.

The programme involves 124 locally managed projects and related initiatives that operate across 470 primary and 224 post-primary schools. It provides targeted supports to some 36,000 children and young people who may be at risk of educational disadvantage. The projects within the school completion programme are each managed and directed by a local management committee, which includes representatives of schools, parents, and other education stakeholders in the locality. The programme's project model approach gives local communities the autonomy to devise innovative approaches to address the needs of young people most at risk of early school leaving. That is critical.

Typically, projects offer homework clubs, breakfast clubs, mentoring programmes, learning support, social and personal development programmes for young people and out-of-school supports including music, art and sports and a range of activities during holiday periods.

Since 1 January 2014, the Child and Family Agency has had operational responsibility for the school completion programme, including the allocation of funds to local projects. In 2014, an allocation of €24.756 million has been provided for the programme. The agency has approved local projects' school retention plans for the 2014-15 academic year. The first instalment of 2014-15 funding was issued to local projects last September. Further payments, totalling approximately €9.5 million, will be issued this month, with a third instalment in May 2015. The Child and Family Agency will continue to work closely with local management committees, schools and local school completion programme co-ordinators to assist projects through the process and offer support in the delivery of their plan for young people.

The school completion project in the area mentioned by the Deputy comprises six primary schools and two post-primary schools. I am advised that €214,184 was allocated by the agency to the project for the school year 2014-15. The amount provided for 2014-15 takes account of the savings requirements in the comprehensive review of expenditure for the period 2012 to 2014.

The allocation of the funding across the range of interventions planned for young people and between the local schools in the school completion programme project for the area is a matter for the local management committee.

The Estimate for the Child and Family Agency for 2015 is €635 million, a 4.3% increase on its 2014 allocation. My Department will issue a performance statement this month under section 45 of the Child and Family Agency Act 2013. This will include my priorities for consideration in the development of the agency's 2015 business plan. The business plan will set out the agency's proposed activities, programmes and priorities for 2015, including provision for the school completion programme, in light of the moneys available.

The Deputy may be aware that a review of the school completion programme has commenced. The review is an important initiative in planning for the future development of the school completion programme.

It is anticipated that the review will assist in identifying the reforms necessary to both consolidate the programme on a sustainable footing for the future and in line with the aims of Better Outcomes, Brighter Futures: the National Policy Framework for Children and Young People, and ensure that available funds are targeted to those services that provide the greatest contribution to good educational outcomes for children and young people at risk of educational disadvantage.

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