Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal North East, Sinn Fein)
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345. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs his plans for educational supports for young persons who are struggling in school, for young persons who are out of school, and for young persons who are in danger of being out of school and not completing the junior certificate examination. [40284/15]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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Since 2014, Tusla, the Child and Family Agency under the remit of my Department, has a general function to ensure that each child attends a recognised school or otherwise receives a certain minimum education. The education welfare services of Tusla, comprising the statutory Education Welfare Officers, the School Completion Programme and the Home School Community Liaison Scheme are key supports for children at risk of early school leaving and educational disadvantage.

Children who do not attend school regularly or who leave school early before age 16 or without completing 3 years of second level education are a priority concern for the Educational Welfare Service. Where school attendance problems arise for a child, Tusla’s approach is to concentrates on finding solutions, within a collaborative intervention framework involving children, families, schools and other relevant agencies. The work of the Educational Welfare Officer falls into two key categories. It can involve a brief intervention, at an early stage if the problem is identified and capable of being resolved, or, where the problem is more complex, it can involve the Educational Welfare Officer providing more intensive and ongoing support for the child and family. I am advised that more than 17,000 children were provided with brief interventions in 2013, while more than 2,400 children were assisted with intensive interventions.

The School Completion Programme and the Home School Liaison Scheme are preventative programmes. The School Completion Programme provides targeted supports to approximately 37,000 children throughout the country. The aim is to enhance children's engagement in education and school life. Typically, projects offer homework clubs; breakfast clubs; mentoring programmes; learning support; social and personal development programmes; out of school supports including music, art and sports and a range of activities during holiday periods. The Home School Community Liaison, with over 400 Home School Community Liaison coordinators serving over 600 schools, aims to build those important links between families, schools and local communities to support children’s learning.

The School Completion Programme has recently been the subject of a review, by the Economic and Social Research Institute, on behalf of Tusla. The review highlights the potential of preventative programmes such as the School Completion Programme to assist children to stay in education and prevent early school leaving and it made recommendations for the future operation of the programme. Tusla has already taken a number of actions to address the review's findings.

My Department will continue to work closely with Tusla to strengthen the operation of the programme and to realise its potential for these children. My Department will also participate in the Inter-Departmental Group that the Minister for Education and Skills proposes to establish to consider the roles of different Government departments in delivering the Action Plan for Educational Inclusion and secure good educational outcomes for children at risk of educational disadvantage.