Jen Cummins (Dublin South Central, Social Democrats)
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88. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills for an update regarding the finalising of the governance and employment structure for the school completion programme. [50211/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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Reducing the level of school absenteeism is a key priority for me as Minister. As a key support under my departments Delivering Equality of Opportunity in School programme (DEIS), the School Completion Programme (SCP) is an integral part of the DEIS plan and will continue to play a critical role in supporting children of school going age to stay in school for longer and to tackle rising rates of absenteeism.

The new DEIS Strategy will be published this year, which will include the DEIS plus scheme. The new Strategy will focus on improving the opportunities and achievement levels of children at risk of educational disadvantage, developing more innovative approaches to tackling educational disadvantage, and working towards a more flexible system of supports to ensure that a school can receive the right support at the right time.

It is my intention that this work will strengthen the greater integration of the supports provided to address educational disadvantage and will support those children and young people most at risk of early school leaving.

A review of the SCP conducted by the ESRI in 2024 was overwhelmingly positive and has highlighted the continued improvements over the past decade. Findings of the report also highlighted areas for further development, including weaknesses in the current employment and governance arrangements, these recommendations are being actively considered by my department.

Work to develop a new employment framework for SCP is currently underway. To support this work, a dedicated SCP Reform Project Team has been established within my Department to provide strategic leadership and sustained momentum for the planned reform. The work of the team is being conducted in partnership with Tusla Education Support Service (TESS) who hold operational responsibility for the programme. The work is supported by a number of internal and external stakeholder representatives who actively participate in the governance structures established to oversee this important work.

To date, considerable progress has been made. The Project Team has completed the initial scoping and planning stages, identifying key priorities and inter dependencies. First phase data gathering and analysis have been undertaken and there has been extensive engagement with stakeholders across the sector, ensuring that a wide range of perspectives and operational insights are taken into consideration.

The Deputy will be aware that in the first phase of this work, identified a preferred employment model for the 121 projects. This preferred solution will promote a more robust, consistent and integrated service and will also facilitate integration with other services, particularly the other 2 strands of TESS, namely the Home School Community Liaison Scheme (HSCL) and the Educational Welfare Service (EWS). This strong integration aims to ensure an efficient and effective local response.

My Department continues to maintain open and constructive communication with all stakeholders and a series of information briefing sessions for LMC chairpersons and SCP Co-ordinators is scheduled to take place in Sligo, Laois, Dublin and Cork during November.