Education Committee to discuss Home School Community Liaison Scheme and Strengthening Families Programme

The schedule for the meeting is:

Session A: Home School Community Liaison Scheme [Ms. Aisling Browne & Ms. Jenny Gannon, Home School Community Liaison Teachers; officials from the Department of Education and Skills; the Irish National Teachers' Organisation (INTO); and TUSLA]
Session B: Strengthening Families Programme [Representatives from Foróige];
Session C: WorldSkills Competition 2017, Abu Dhabi [Irish WorldSkills 2017 delegation; and representatives from SOLAS].

Committee Chair Fiona O’Loughlin, TD said: “The Home School Community Liaison is a strategy aimed at pupils who may be at risk of dropping-out of the school system and subsequently not being able to reach their full potential academically. The objective of the scheme is to improve attendance, participation and retention within the education system. The underlying policy of the scheme is one that seeks to promote partnership between parents and teachers.

It was established in 1990, with teachers being appointed as liaison officers in a number of primary schools throughout the State, initially, in areas of urban disadvantage. In 1991 the scheme was extended to include post-primary schools in these areas. The Home School Community Liaison is now managed and coordinated by a national leadership team within the Senior Management Team of the Educational Welfare Services of TUSLA, the Child and Family Agency.

The scheme is a very important preventative strategy aimed at helping children and students at risk of not reaching their potential or even dropping out of the education system. Our meeting is an opportunity to discuss the scheme in greater detail and consider how we can continue to promote partnership between schools, teachers, parents and communities to help improve participation in the education system.

We will also meet with youth organisation Foróige to discuss the Strengthening Families Programme. This is a parenting and family strengthening programme for high-risk families which has been found to significantly reduce problem behaviours, delinquency, and alcohol and drug abuse in children and to improve social competencies and school performance

In the final part of our meeting, we will hear from the Irish WorldSkills 2017 delegation. In October a group of young apprentices, trainees and students represented Ireland at the WorldSkills Competition – the Skills Olympics in Abu Dhabi. At the Competition the Irish team won seven Medallions for Excellence and the Committee will be very interested to hear about their experiences at this competition.”

This meeting starts at 4pm on Tuesday, 7 November 2017 in Committee Room 3 Leinster House. Committee proceedings can be viewed live here.

Committee proceedings can also be viewed on the move, through the Houses of the Oireachtas Smartphone App, available for Apple and Android devices.