Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)
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6. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if he will engage with the Department of Education and Skills regarding moving the school completion programme back to that Department; and his views that the programme is much better suited to the education portfolio rather than to that of his own Department. [35517/15]

Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)
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This question is on the school completion programme, which is now under the remit of the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, whereas it had always been under the remit of the Minister for Education and Skills. Has there been any discussion between the Ministers on moving it back to the Department of Education and Skills?

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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The school completion programme aims to improve the school attendance, participation and retention of young people who are at risk of educational disadvantage. The programme provides targeted supports to approximately 36,000 children and young people. Since 1 January 2014, Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, under the remit of my Department, has had operational responsibility for the programme. The establishment of the agency brought together the educational welfare programmes, which had previously been under the remit of the former National Educational Welfare Board, as part of a new integrated response to meet the needs of children at risk of educational disadvantage.

The establishment of Tusla, encompassing key educational welfare programmes, along with its broader focus on child and family welfare, presents an opportunity to shape more effective policy and practice that will help to address educational disadvantage. In its recently published review of the school completion programme, the Economic and Social Research Institute, ESRI, indicated the programme is a key measure to deliver policy goals to secure good education outcomes for children at risk of early school leaving.

My Department will continue to work closely with Tusla to strengthen the operation of the programme and to realise its potential for these children. My Department will also participate in the interdepartmental group which the Minister for Education and Skills proposes to establish to consider the roles of different Departments in delivering the delivering equality of opportunity in schools, DEIS, programme in a joined-up way.

Tusla, with its commitment to a whole-family approach to addressing childhood disadvantage and its statutory responsibility for key educational welfare services, has a key role to play as part of a cross-departmental effort to develop a more integrated and effective response to the issue of educational disadvantage. Given the integrated approach we are now taking, I believe the school completion programme is most appropriate to the remit of my Department and of Tusla.

Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)
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I thank the Minister for his reply but the teachers involved with the school completion programme would not agree with his view. Early school leaving and underachievement, particularly in disadvantaged areas, are key. Everything being done to address those issues has to be supported. The school completion programme is doing that. Its success in that regard was acknowledged in the ESRI report by Professor Emer Smyth. It was also noted in the report, however, that it was a cause of concern and uncertainty that it came under the remit of the Department of Children and Youth Affairs rather than the Department of Education and Skills.

The school completion programme is rolled out in schools with after-school clubs, holiday programmes and so forth. The teachers who roll it out are in the schools on the ground and are able to address issues as they arise. We know the problems there have been with guidance and counselling. It is the school completion teachers who have been picking that up that work. This is not a criticism of Tusla but an acknowledgement of the severe caseload the agency has. It does not make sense to give it additional work with children who, at certain points, do not need social workers but need teachers in the school completion programme.

Will the Minister consider moving it back to the Department of Education and Skills?

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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As I pointed out, the issue around school completion is far more complex than the school itself. It also involves parents and their influence on the children, as well as having other activities going on in the school. I have visited some of the schools involved and they have wonderful initiatives around cooking, art, sculpture and other pragmatic programmes involving hands. For those children who have given up on the reading, writing and arithmetic side of education, this entices them back with other subjects that interest them and reintroduces other educational skills. It shows that one needs arithmetic if one wants to be good at certain elements around cooking, such as adding and subtracting ingredients. Similarly, having good literacy skills is important if one is interested in woodwork. It is about understanding these additional skills are helpful to pursue the other subjects in which the children are interested. I have heard the Deputy's points before, but I believe this programme is best placed in an agency which has a remit over a much broader area than just education itself.

Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)
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It is teachers who are responsible for rolling out the school completion programme. Teachers are under the remit of the Minister for Education and Skills. It is the view of teachers that it would be better for the programme to be back with the Department of Education and Skills where it was when it was set up in 2002 until 2014.

Teachers are in a great position to refer those children who need the programme to Tusla. We know the increasing load on the scheme completion programme in working with children in homeless accommodation, refugee children and Traveller children because the Traveller teacher numbers have also been cut. There is a logistical aspect to this. Are we creating another level of bureaucracy for schools already overloaded with bureaucracy, policies and plans by having the school completion programme under the Department of Children and Youth Affairs? Logic and reason dictates that if teachers are rolling out a programme, then it should be with the Department of Education and Skills.

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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Tusla is comfortable to be engaged with this programme and anxious to continue to be so. It has already taken several actions to strengthen the operation of the programme on foot of the ESRI review. There have been improvements to the annual school retention plans to focus on outcomes to be achieved for children and young people in the locality. Focused discussions have commenced with all those involved in the delivery of the programme on the review findings and how to strengthen the core functions of the programme. A new governance structure has been put in place at national level to support local projects in the development of the programme and to improve integration with the related home-school community-liaison and statutory education welfare officers. There will be new school attendance guidelines to advise schools on the practical supports needed to enable children to maximise their participation in education.

We are in close contact with the Department of Education and Skills on this programme. We are mutually concerned with outcomes for children. We know if they stay in school they achieve higher educational outcomes.

They are more employable and therefore have better prospects of higher incomes later in life. We are very much committed at all stages of a child's development to ensure we get the best outcomes for them.