Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

62. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if consideration will be given to bringing school completion officers back under the remit of her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49774/22]

Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I wish to ask the Minister about the return of school completion officers back under the remit of the Department of Education and if she will make a statement on the matter.

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

On 1 January 2021, responsibility for education welfare functions, including the administration of the home school community liaison scheme and the school completion programme, SCP, transferred from the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to me. The SCP forms part of the Tusla education support service, TESS. While the arrangements between Tusla and the SCP are not impacted by the change in ministerial responsibility, Tusla now reports to my Department in respect of the SCP, which is funded by my Department via Tusla.

TESS has three strands. These are the statutory educational welfare service, EWS, and the two school support services, namely, the home school community liaison, HSCL, scheme and the SCP. The three TESS strands work together collaboratively with schools, families and other relevant services to achieve the best educational outcomes for children and young people.

The SCP was introduced in 2002 by my Department and the programme is now a central element of Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools, DEIS, my Department’s main policy initiative to address educational disadvantage at school level. The SCP delivers a range of local interventions in disadvantaged communities that support the retention of young people in education. The programme enables local communities to develop tailored strategies to maximise the participation levels of those at risk of early school-leaving in the education process. It entails targeting individual young people of school-going age, both in and out of school, and arranging supports to address inequalities in education access, participation and outcomes.

There are currently 122 school completion projects with local management committees. The 2022 allocation for the programme is €26.9 million and additional funding will be provided later this year to allow new DEIS urban primary and post-primary schools to access the SCP service. At present, management of the school completion programme initiatives, including the employment of staff, occurs at local level.

Since I took over responsibility for the school completion programme in January 2021, I have secured additional funding to provide for an extension of SCP supports to 28 additional schools that were included in DEIS for the first time in September 2017 and a 5% overall increase in funding for the school completion programme, effective from September 2021. In addition, I negotiated a further increase of 5% for the SCP under budget 2023.

Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for her comprehensive response, a copy of which I received earlier in the evening. I welcome the fact both she and the Taoiseach have taken a keen interest in this area. As recently as last Wednesday, during Questions on Policy or Legislation, he indicated he was still anxious that the full transition in regard to the logistics would be undertaken and that the full jurisdiction would return to the Department of Education. I also welcome the fact the Minister has negotiated through the budgetary process, as she mentioned, that 5% increase, which will cater well for the expanded DEIS programme.

The crux of the matter, however, is that, as she stated, the management of the school completion programme occurs at local level. That is the point at issue here. The Minister went on to say her Department would consider all aspects of the programme, including its management, in the future. Will she confirm whether this consideration will extend to staff reverting to employment under the Department of Education, for example?

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

To be clear, I appreciate and acknowledge the value of the school completion programme and see the work it does on the ground. We are looking at an holistic approach between school completion, home school community liaison and so on to ensure students and young people at risk of early school-leaving will be supported insofar as possible to maintain their presence in school and to succeed.

I reiterate that the initial focus of the transfer of the school completion programme has been very much on the development of the legislative platform to support the transfer of functions from the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, and the process in that respect was recently completed. My Department will, as the Deputy noted, consider all aspects of the development of the programme, including its management and all aspects involved therein. I will keep the Deputy updated on the matter. I am determined, now that we have completed the legislative framework, to consider all other aspects.

Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I appreciate the Minister's sincerity on this and wished only to give her an outline of what the school completion programme model means on the ground in Cork. We have 11 projects, comprising six non-education and training board, ETB, based and five ETB based. I highlight that distinction because in the case of the five ETB-based school completion programmes, predominantly, the teachers involved keep their pay and conditions as employees of the ETB. They have the same pension entitlements as regular ETB staff.

Unfortunately, in the case of the six non-ETB school completion programmes, the teachers do not have the same luxury of pension entitlements or the same pay and conditions. That is a glaring disparity and I hope it will be addressed as the scheme is reviewed. It feeds into the bigger problem we have with regard to school completion, namely, the poor retention of staff in critical areas.

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I very much appreciate the Deputy's points and am conscious of the disparity that exists. I am also conscious of the value and importance of the work being done on school completion programmes. The jurisdiction of the SCP coming into my remit is a relatively recent move. I wanted to be fair and honest in saying there had to be considerable work in that respect from a legislative point of view but I am aware of the differences of approach and of impact in terms of staffing throughout the country. The next body of work, focusing on all other aspects of the management of the SCP now that we have jumped the first significant hurdle, will commence imminently.