Sandra McLellan (Cork East, Sinn Fein)
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155. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if he will provide a detailed update on the review of the school completion programme, which has been in operation since 2002; and the plans in place for its development. [7770/15]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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The School Completion Programme aims to retain young people in the formal education system to completion of senior cycle and to generally improve the school attendance, participation and retention of young people who are risk of educational disadvantage. The programme is a targeted intervention aimed at school communities identified through the Department of Education and Skills' DEIS Action Plan for Educational Inclusion. It provides targeted supports annually to approximately 36,000 children.

Since 1 January 2014, the Child and Family Agency has operational responsibility for the School Completion Programme. The review of the School Completion Programme, indicated in the Comprehensive Review of Expenditure 2012-2014, is underway. The objectives of the review are to examine the programme's structures, clarify roles and responsibilities, to analyse the interventions and supports provided and identify best practice and make recommendations for the future of the programme.

The review is being carried out by the ERSI following a procurement process which was managed by the Agency. The plan for the review includes arrangements to capture the views of a range of stakeholders, including staff and all those involved in the organisation and administration of the School Completion Programme. It includes a survey to gather the views of project coordinators and chairpersons of the 124 local school completion programme projects throughout the country, case studies of projects involving staff and participating schools and interviews with national stakeholders who have a direct interest in the programme.

The review of the School Completion Programme is an important initiative in planning for the future development of the programme. It will assist in identifying the reforms necessary to consolidate the programme on a sustainable footing for the future. Preliminary information gathered in the review indicates that the School Completion Programme encompasses a broad and diverse range of measures and interventions that have been developed by local projects over the years. The intention is to learn more about the most successful of these, share the learning across the programme and ensure that available funds are targeted to those services that provide the greatest contribution to good educational outcomes for children and young people at risk of educational disadvantage.

The review is being overseen by a steering group comprising officials from my Department, the Department of Education and Skills and the Agency. Work is at an advanced stage and it is anticipated that the review will be completed during the current academic year.