Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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536. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the way in which Túsla engage with school attendance issues; the number of days a child has to miss before it will intervene; the number of interventions on this matter it has made each month since it was established, set out in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11760/15]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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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. Through its Educational Welfare Service, the Agency responds to instances where children are not attending school regularly, leading to concerns for their educational welfare.

Under the Education (Welfare) Act, 2000, schools are obliged to record and monitor daily attendance and to report absences to the Agency in specific circumstances; such as where a child is absent for 20 days or more, where a child is expelled or suspended for six days or more cumulatively, or where the principal of a school has concerns about the educational welfare of a child.

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. Where school attendance problems arise for a child, the Agency concentrates on finding solutions within a collaborative intervention framework involving children and their families, schools and other relevant agencies. This work of the Educational Welfare Service falls into two key categories, namely the provision of a brief intervention designed to resolve a school attendance issue with a child before it escalates or the provision of intensive intervention, where problems of poor school attendance are manifestation of more complex and deep rooted issues for the child and his or her family which require significant time and on-going support from the Educational Welfare Officer to ensure progress.

The information sought by the Deputy has been requested from the Child and Family Agency and I will respond directly to the Deputy when the information is received.