Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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176. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the model of integrated service being introduced by the National Educational Welfare Board. [20493/14]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy may be aware the functions and operational responsibilities of the former National Educational Welfare Board (NEWB) are now part of the new Child and Family Agency, which was established on 1 January 2014. Since this date the staff of the former NEWB, including its Educational Welfare Officers, have transferred to the new Agency. Within the Child and Family Agency, the statutory Education Welfare Service has specific responsibility for the Agency’s general function to ensure that each child attends a recognised school or otherwise receives a certain minimum education. I am advised that the Agency, through its Educational Welfare Services (EWS), is in a process of developing an intervention practice model that reflects the aim of a single strategic approach to school attendance, participation and retention.

The intervention practice model known as One Child, One Team, One Plan(One Child) is designed to integrate all three EWS service strands with school and family where individual children require support around school attendance, participation and/or retention. It is intended that the core principles of the model will be applicable to educational welfare supports in all schools. Further details as to the model of integrated service and how it is designed to be child-centred, provide a continuum of service and respond to the needs of vulnerable individual children are available from the Agency's website - www.tusla.ie.