Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 427: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of cases that have been brought to the attention of the National Education Welfare Board where a student misses 20 days of school in one academic year and where the NEWB is legally obliged to become involved; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29489/07]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The National Educational Welfare Board is developing a nationwide service on a continuing basis that is accessible to schools, parents/guardians and others concerned with the welfare of young people. For this purpose, Educational Welfare Officers (EWOs) have been deployed throughout the country to provide a welfare-focused service to support regular school attendance and discharge the Board's functions locally. The Board operates through 5 regional teams, with bases in Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway and Waterford. A service is provided from 26 locations nationwide. Staff are deployed in areas of greatest disadvantage and in areas designated under the Government's RAPID programme. In addition, the Board follows up on urgent cases nationally where children are not currently receiving an education. Educational Welfare Officers play a pivotal role in implementing the service provided by the NEWB through monitoring school attendance and working to improve it. The EWOs also help parents that are experiencing a difficulty with getting a school place for their child. The NEWB has also issued an Information Leaflet to every family with children of schoolgoing age advising them of their rights and responsibilities in relation to education and school attendance and where they can get help.

I am pleased to advise the Deputy that the allocation to the Board for 2007 is €9.808 million. This represents an increase of 20% on the 2006 allocation and of 50% on the 2004 level. This substantial increase in funding is a clear indication of this Government's commitment to prioritise investment in favour of those most at risk. Sanction for 15 additional staff was given in 2007 and this brings the current authorised staffing of the Board to 109 posts of which 90 are allocated to working directly in the service delivery area. The staffing complement is comprised of 19 HQ and support staff, 5 regional managers, 13 Senior EWO's and 72 EWO's. It should, however, be remembered that the Board is just one aspect of the comprehensive framework that this Government has put in place to improve school attendance and encourage more young people to finish school. In this regard, extra supports targeted at young people in disadvantaged areas include both educational initiatives such as intensive literacy programmes and services such as breakfast clubs and homework clubs. In fact, in addition to the NEWB, there are currently in excess of 600 staff within the education sector with a role in school attendance. Home School Community Liaison Coordinators, in working with parents, promote school attendance and its importance for success in school.

School attendance is a central objective of the School Completion Programme with attendance tracking a core feature and one of its preventative strategies. Access to these services is being increased with the continued roll-out of services under DEIS, the Action Plan for tackling educational disadvantage. The first national data on school attendance was collected for the 2003/2004 school year. Attendance data relating to the 2005/06 school year are currently being analysed by the NEWB. The findings from the 2004/05 analysis, which are consistent with the findings for the previous year, indicate that approximately 84,000 children under the age of 16 miss more than 20 days each year. The explanation for the absences are for a variety of reasons ranging from unexplained absence to explained absence such as ill health. On average the Board estimates that it works with 10,000 cases per annum involving students with reported school attendance difficulties. The findings from the analysis of the Annual Attendance Reports continues to inform the work of the Board. It is encouraging to note that in relation to the effectiveness of the service, research findings show that attendance at school in the areas where EWOs are working intensively improved by 4% in 2004/05 compared with the previous year.

I have been informed that since January 2007, the Board has worked on 8381 cases involving children who are experiencing difficulty with school attendance. 4358 of these cases are now closed and 4023 are still ongoing. This government is determined to do all that is possible to ensure that every child gets all the opportunities and support they need to enable them to achieve their potential and participate fully in education. Through increased investment and improved services we are determined to optimise access, participation and educational outcomes at every level of the system for disadvantaged groups.