Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Independent)
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140. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if the visiting teacher service for Travellers will be recommenced. [39611/14]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy may be aware,the Visiting Teachers Service for Travellers was discontinued with effect from September 2011, in line with Department of Education and Skills policy on the phasing out of segregated Traveller provision.

The Child and Family Agency, established in 2014 under the aegis of my Department, has statutory responsibility in relation to school attendance and supports for young people at risk of educational disadvantage, including traveller children. Through its Educational Welfare Service, the Agency responds to instances where children, including children from the Traveller community, are not attending school regularly, leading to concerns for their educational welfare. While Educational Welfare Officers have a number of statutory powers in relation to school attendance, much of their work involves early prevention and targeted intervention with children and families, in collaboration with schools and other support services. In that regard, the needs of Traveller students are fully considered.

I am advised by the Agency that approximately 50% of Traveller students attend schools designated for additional supports under the DEIS action plan which provide additional supports to address educational disadvantage, including supports coordinated within the Agency.

The Home-School-Community Liaison scheme targets children at risk of not reaching their potential in the educational system, including children from the Traveller community. It focuses directly on the significant adults in children's lives, works in an enabling way with parents and families to develop their capacity as a key resource in their children's learning and seeks direct benefits for the children themselves.

The School Completion Programme works directly with targeted students at risk of early school leaving through a range of in-school, after-school and holiday period interventions designed to retain them in the formal education system to completion of post-primary senior cycle, as well as addressing the needs of students who are out of school. According to the Agency, a high number of traveller students participate in homework clubs which may be organised within Traveller sites and in collaboration with local youth services or Traveller organisations.

The Agency participates in the Traveller Education Strategy Advisory and Consultative Forum under the auspices of the Department of Education and Skills to monitor implementation of this key policy framework for Traveller Education with the objective of improving educational outcomes for Traveller children. In line with this objective, I am advised that the Agency has convened a working group within the Forum to develop collaborative relationships and working protocols between Educational Welfare Services and Traveller support organisations.

The development by the Agency's Educational Welfare Services of an integrated intervention model around school attendance, participation and retention issues generally will be a significant vehicle by which the needs of Traveller children and families can be addressed in collaboration with schools and other support services.