Written answers
Tuesday, 9 October 2012
Department of Children and Youth Affairs
Education Welfare Service Staff
Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of education welfare officers who retired in each of the past five years. [43298/12]
Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of education welfare officers recruited in each of the past five years. [43299/12]
Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of education welfare officers in each county. [43300/12]
Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 544 to 546, inclusive, together.
The National Educational Welfare Board (NEWB), which operates under the auspices of my Department, has a statutory remit to ensure that ‘each child attends a recognised school or otherwise receives a certain minimum education’. The Education Welfare Service, and its network of Education Welfare Officers (EWOs), is a key resource for the Board in delivering on this statutory remit.
The Education Welfare Service consists of 72 staff of which 57 Education Welfare Officers are involved exclusively with case work, 12 Senior Education Welfare Officers provide a frontline service and supervisory support to their respective teams and 3 Education Welfare Regional Managers are also involved in the provision of direct frontline services and operational management.
With regard to the number of Education Welfare Officers delivering services in each county, I am advised by the NEWB that the following table describes the current position:
| County | Education Welfare Officers* |
|---|---|
| Dublin | 22 |
| Meath | 1 |
| Louth | 2 |
| South Kildare / West Wicklow | 1 |
| Wicklow | 1 |
| Waterford | 1 |
| Waterford / South Wexford | 1 |
| Wexford | 1 |
| Carlow | 1 |
| Kilkenny | 1 |
| Cork | 6 |
| West Cork / South Kerry | 1 |
| Kerry | 1 |
| Limerick | 3 |
| Clare | 1 |
| Tipperary | 2 |
| Donegal | 1 |
| Roscommon | 1 |
| Longford / South Leitrim | 1 |
| Sligo | 1 |
| Offaly | 1 |
| Westmeath | 1 |
| Laois | 1 |
| Galway | 2 |
| Mayo | 1 |
*Please note these figures do not include the 15 Education Welfare Officers at Senior and Regional Manager level. In addition 1 EWO works exclusively in support of the Board’s statutory role in the assessment of education in places other than recognised schools.
The following table details the position with regard to the retirement and recruitment of Education Welfare Officers in each of the past five years.
| Education Welfare Officers Retiring | Education Welfare Officers Recruited | |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 1 | 3 |
| 2008 | 1 | 10 |
| 2009 | 2 | 2 |
| 2010 | 0 | 0 |
| 2011 | 1 | 0 |
| 2012 (as of 9th October) | 2 | 0 |
My Department recently sanctioned the recruitment of an additional three Education Welfare Officers.
The Board has prioritised the introduction of a new integrated practice and case management system which brings together the services of the Education Welfare Service, the Home School Community Liaison Scheme and the School Completion Programme. This new model of practice is designed to draw upon the skills, expertise and knowledge of each service to deliver better outcomes for children, families, and schools.
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