Presentation to Oireachtas Committee
on Health & Children
Ms Nuala Doherty Chairperson Designate
History/Background to NEWB
• Statutory Agency established in 2002 under the Educational
(Welfare) Act 2000
• Act replaced the 1926 School Attendance Act – Education
Welfare Officers replaced School Attendance Officers
• A National service
• 12 Board Members & Chair – Bodies/Agencies prescribed in
the Act – special interest/expertise
History/Background to NEWB
• 2009 – Responsibility given to NEWB for 3 additional
programmes/services
• Home School Community Liaison Scheme
• School Completion Programme
• Visiting Teacher for Traveller Service
• 2010 – Visiting Teacher Service for Travellers discontinued
• 2011 – NEWB functions transferred from DES to the newly established
DCYA
• 2012 – Review of NEWB in the context of the establishment of the new
Child and Family Support Agency (ongoing)
Key Functions under the Act
• Statutory service- ensure every child 6-16 attends recognised school or
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otherwise receives a certain minimum education
Foster and promote high level of school attendance
Assist and advise parents and schools to meet their obligations under the
Act
Work with schools: assist and advise in relation to maximising student
attendance participation and retention
Collection of National attendance data (Periodic returns & AAR)
Guidelines on Developing a Code of Behaviour and development of
School Attendance Strategies
Key Functions under the Act
• Specific Role in relation to suspensions, expulsions and refusals to
enrol
• Registration of education outside of recognised schools (Home
Education) – registration of non-recognised schools
• 16-17 year olds who leave school and enter employment – a register
• Research, Guidance, Policy to Departments
Budget & Staffing
• NEWB Budget for 2012 - €9,622,000
• ECF – Staffing target is 100 (2012), 98 (2013), 97 (2014)
• Currently (2012) 91 staff
• Sanction to recruit 3 additional EWOs and a Director of Education
Services (secondment). A Senior Manager has recently been approved
through DES secondment
• SCP – budget €28,256,000 covering 124 local projects. (251 full time
staff). 6.5% reduction 2012 – 2014 (€4.5 million)
• HSCL – funded from DES vote (region €25,000,000) in salary costs. 403
HSCL coordinators (teachers) employed by schools
Extended Remit of NEWB, 2009
“developing a single, strategic approach reflecting equally the
nature of and strengths of each of the services, including the
National Educational Welfare Service to address school
attendance, participation and retention”
The Requirements Placed on NEWB
• Charged with developing a single, strategic approach to school attendance,
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participation and retention
To take responsibility for achieving best educational outcomes for children
To take a broad range of actions in support of the entitlement of every child
to a minimum education
To put in place processes and structures for the governance, management and
operation of the integrated service
To undertake responsibility for the management, development and direction
of the three services
To draw on the skills, expertise and knowledge of personnel from the three
services now being brought together under the NEWB
• Statutory service- ensure every child 6-16 attends recognised school or otherwise
receives a certain minimum education: Exhaust all welfare interventions prior to
taking the decision to instigate legal action against parents failing in their duty to have
their children attend school
Education Welfare
• Home Education and unrecognised Schools
Service
Home/School/
Community
• Working with parents and significant adults to support their childrens’ participation in
education: 403 HSCL Co-ordinators
• Working with the salient adults in the child’s life: Home visits, policy formulation,
parent as resource, providing a range of courses for parents, working with staff in
schools to encourage/maintain partnership with parents
Liaison Scheme
• 124 Projects (251 full-time staff) in place working with 464 Primary & 224 PostPrimary Schools : primary aim is to retain young people in formal education until
completion of Senior Cycle
School Completion • Targeted preventative approach including social, personal development, after school,
out of school supports, e.g. Breakfast Clubs, Mentoring Programmes, Homework Club
Project
Outcomes
Better
outcomes
for children
& families
Coherence,
Co-ordination
&
Consolidation
Enhanced
attendance,
participation and
retention
Efficient use
of resources
– reaching
the most
marginalised
School Attendance – The Facts, 2009-2010
• NEWB has collected annual statistics since 2003/2004
• 50,000 more children in primary school in 2010 than 2005 (>500,000
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children)
9,000 more children in post primary school in 2010 than 2005 (>312,000
children)
Primary pupils miss an average 11 days per year
Post primary pupils miss an average 13 days per year
Over 111,000 pupils miss over 20 days per year
10 expulsions in primary schools, 148 in post primary (0.05% of students)
<5% post primary students suspended in 2009/2010
Figures were lower for general non-attendance in 2009/2010. Figures
similar to NI & UK
Other Facts
Legal Activity
• 1,787 school attendance notices issued since 2005
• 581 summons issued against parents since 2006
• 200 convictions
• 139 struck out (general improvement)
Education Outside of Recognised Schools
• 777 children were registered with NEWB as being educated at home
• 8,292 children registered in 36 private schools
Priorities for Board in 2012
• Complete and disseminate Guidelines for Schools on developing Attendance Strategies (S22
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Education (Welfare) Act)
Implement the Integrated Service Framework – One Child, One team, One Plan, across the 3 services
(EWS, HSCL and SCP)
Embed the Common Outcomes Framework
Reconfigure Educational Welfare Service given the ECF
Prioritise children “at risk” of early school leaving
Continue to develop and embed the National Attendance Awards
Complete the review of the Guidelines on the Assessment of Education in places other than
Recognised Schools
Review the School Completion Programme
Strong links with child welfare services
Strong engagement with Education System:
• Education Partners Advisory Group; DEIS; Schools
Challenges
• Leadership and managing change
• Working with less resources – meeting statutory obligations
• Transition to the new CEO
• Maintaining strong links with education and schools
• Maintaining strong links with child welfare services
• Outcome of review on future location of NEWB
• Sustaining/implementing the integration process
• Public sector reform in practice.
Nuala Doherty
Experience
• Current Director of the Centre for Effective Services
• Former Interim CEO and Director of Education Welfare Services, NEWB
• Director of Services to Children and Families in HSE, NE
• 13 years senior management experience in statutory organisations with a
remit for children and families, across Health, Social Care and Education
• Government appointed Board member of a statutory organisation (CAAB)
• Experience in a significant number of national committees and initiatives
• Clinical psychologist by profession
Nuala Doherty
Skills
• Proven leadership and service delivery across a number of public sector
organisations, in Health and Education
• Significant senior management experience, particularly in the statutory
sector
• Understanding of the governance and organisational requirements of
public sector organisations
• Extensive national expertise applying an evidence-based approach to work