April 2007
Information Update

The National Educational Welfare Board

The National Educational Welfare Board (NEWB) was established in 2002 and has a statutory function to ensure that every child either attends a school or otherwise receives an education.  In particular, the Board has a key role in following up on children who are not attending school regularly, and where there is a concern about the child’s educational welfare.

The Board also has responsibility for children who are being educated outside of schools (e.g. at home) and 16-17 year olds who leave school to take up employment.

The Board is appointed by the Minister for Education & Science and its members are drawn from teachers, school management, parents, agencies and services who work with young people and a number of relevant Government Departments.

Our Ethos

The Board was set up under the Education (Welfare) Act 2000. The Act is a progressive piece of legislation which takes an enlightened approach to the promotion of school attendance. The ethos of the Board follows the Act. Instead of admonishing children and parents for non-attendance the NEWB works hard to get to the root of problems behind non-attendance. For example, a child might be sick; there might be financial issues in the home; there might be a death in the family or a child may not want to go to school because he or she is being bullied.; Issues such as these need to be addressed if a child’s individual attendance issues are to be solved in the long-term.

The work of educational welfare officers builds on the work of the school and the various support services than operate at both school and community levels. Some schools are better resourced than others through a range of non statutory schemes such as Home/School/Community/Programme and School Completion Programme that are available in the most disadvantaged areas. Educational welfare officers work closely with these services at a local level.

Strategic focus 2005 - 2007

NEWB has a clear strategic focus to guide its development. The Board’s Strategic Plan 2005-2007 “every day counts” aims to build a strong organisation that can deliver on its duty to children, schools and families. The Strategic Goals adopted by the Board are as follows:

• To implement a prevention strategy that will build a culture of attendance and participation among all children and families
• To make a strong evidence-based case to Government to fast-track the manpower requirements of the Board, build its capacity and enable it to deliver high quality educational welfare services
• To build strong partnerships and collaborative working practices with state and community organisations, and increase the synergy with other educational investments, particularly in disadvantaged areas
• To ensure that resources and interventions maximise outcomes for children by developing evidence-based policy and practice
• To be a learning organisation that will support and develop its staff 

Research shows that prevention and early intervention are more likely to be effective and the Board will be emphasising these aspects in its work over the next two years.

Our Service

A central priority for the Board has been the establishment and building of the National Educational Welfare Service.  The NEWB’s network of Educational Welfare Officers (EWOs) is the key means by which the Board delivers on its statutory remit to ensure that each child attends and benefits from education.

At present 73 Educational Welfare Officers work in communities throughout the country acting as advocates or supports to parents, guardians and children experiencing difficulty with school attendance or educational welfare.

In the initial stage of development, priority was given to the most disadvantaged areas (RAPID 1) with significant school going populations.  EWOs provide an intensive service in these areas.  Outside of these areas, a lesser service is provided and priority is given to children who are out of school or who have significant non attendance.

In following up on individual children, a check is made on the work done by schools and their staff. EWOs will usually contact the principal or other designated person about each child before making contact with the home. A unique feature of the EWOs work is their ability to develop a meaningful relationship with a young person and their family. Home visits play an essential role in this process and the first knock on the door by an Educational Welfare Officer, very often opens up a pathway of solutions for a child and family in need.  Once any underlying problems are identified the EWO can then seek to address the family’s unique set of circumstances, if necessary in conjunction with school staff and other local support services.

If a child is out of school, there is a legal imperative on the Board to make other arrangements for the child’s education in consultation with the parents and the Department.  

Legal Sanctions

Where parents are failing in their duty to educate their children, the Board has powers to compel them to send their children to school.  These powers are being applied in situations where a parent is not co-operating and where all other options have failed to improve attendance. The first prosecutions against parents were taken in early 2006.

Making an impact

NEWB operates through 5 regional teams each of which is headed by a regional manager.  A service is provided from 26 locations nationwide.

The following gives an indication of the work undertaken by the Board over the past 3 years:

• Improvement in school attendance: attendance at school in the areas where EWOs are working intensively improved by 4% in 2004/2005 (the first full year of the service) over the previous year.
• Cases resolved: 20,000 cases involving students with reported school attendance difficulties have been resolved since January 2004
• Communication with families: NEWB has written to every family with children of school going age advising them of their rights and responsibilities in relation to education and school attendance and where they can get help.
• National Education Helpline: The NEWB has set-up the country’s first national educational helpline* (1890 36 36 66), which is manned by trained Educational Welfare Officers and provides practical help to parents and schools on educational issues. 5,000 calls are dealt with annually by this service.
• Data on the levels of non attendance: the first national data has been collected and professionally validated on the levels of non attendance at primary and post primary schools – see next section.
• School Implementation Group: The School Implementation Group – which includes parents, principals and teachers, provides advice to the NEWB both on general priorities and on any materials and guidelines to be specifically distributed to schools. The group’s role is to help ensure that those materials are usable, practical and appropriate to already busy school schedules.
• Research on school attendance: a research programme is underway that will support the Board in its planning and service development.
• Education outside of recognised schools: The first assessments of children being educated in places other than in recognised schools (e.g. the home) have been carried out by authorised persons specifically trained for the work.  Over 200 children are now registered apart from those children attending private primary schools.
• Section 29 Appeals: the law places responsibility on the EWO to take appeals in certain circumstances and to make submissions in other cases. The EWO must carry out these functions with independence and sensitivity having regard to their statutory responsibility towards the child and the position of the individual school. 
• Code of Behaviour Guidelines
  The NEWB is in the process of developing the first national Guidelines for School Codes of Behaviour.  These Guidelines will focus on how schools can deal progressively and inclusively with behavioural issues, thereby helping to support participation in education for all.
  The Board appointed an expert group to draw up Guidelines which will form the basis for a widespread consultation process with schools, parents, education partners, organisations working with children, and critically children themselves. The feedback from this consultation phase will inform the final Guidelines. The guidelines will be issued to schools during this school year.
  The development of Guidelines for School Codes of Behaviour is provided for in Section 23 (2) of the Education (Welfare) Act, 2000. The Guidelines will apply to all schools covered by the Act.
• Early Employment
  Preparatory work is continuing in relation to the establishment of a register for 16 and 17 year olds who leave school to enter employment. The Board is aware that there are many organisations and agencies like VECs already providing services to this age group.  In developing this service, account will be taken of services already in place with a view to adding value and meeting the needs of these people.
• Implementation of Section 14 of the Education (Welfare) Act, 2000
  Section 14 of the Education (Welfare) Act provides for the registration of children who are in receipt of education in a place other than a recognised school.
  In addition, this section provides for the recognition of certain programmes of education, training or instruction or work experience prescribed by the Minister. Prescribed programmes do not need to be assessed by the NEWB. These programmes include many “early leaver” programmes provided by VECs and other organisations which are meeting the needs of young people not attending school.
  We have made a proposal to the Minister for the recognition of these programmes based on the FETAC recognition model.
• Protocol with schools: work is advanced on developing a protocol with schools which will clarify responsibilities around attendance and the best way that EWOs can support schools in meeting the needs of children.  This is a collaborative work involving principals and teachers.
• School attendance strategies: work has commenced on guidelines for schools on developing attendance strategies and the prevention of student absenteeism.
• Guidance for schools: All schools have received guidance on the legislation and the reporting of student absences and expulsions.  A new website, www.schoolreturn.ie, has also been established which enables schools to manage and report absences in a safe and efficient way.

Absenteeism: The Facts

Since the inception of the Education (Welfare) Act 2000, schools are obliged by law to submit a report to NEWB on levels of school attendance.

2004/2005 is the second year for which this data has been collected and validated.

Key findings of the “Analysis of School Attendance Data at Primary and Post-Primary Level 2004/2005 include:

• 10% of all primary school students (approximately 47,000 students) miss more than 20 days from school each year or 11% of the school year
• 19 % of all post-primary school students (approximately 37,000 students under 16) miss more than 20 days from school each year or 12% of the school year
• Every primary school student misses on average 10 days in the school year; in the most disadvantaged urban areas, the average absence is 17 days per student
• Every post-primary student on average misses 14 days in the school year; in the most disadvantaged areas, the average absence is 21 days for each student
• While attendance is lower in areas of disadvantage, it is a national issue affecting all communities.

These reports are available on our website www.newb.ie.

The Costs of Absenteeism

• High levels of absenteeism can lead to poor achievement and poor educational outcomes. Children who leave school early tend not to reengage with education subsequently and therefore remain at a disadvantage throughout their lives.
• The costs to the State and society can include the loss of the contribution these young people could have made over their lifetime, the potentially higher levels of draw down of State benefits increase risk of involvement in anti-social activity and crime, and poorer physical and mental health.
• High levels of absenteeism wil tend to reduce the impact of the State’s investment in education and, in particular, the investment in addressing educational disadvantage.
• There are significant costs for teachers and for schools, in terms of the time spent investigating absences, and in working to reduce absences and the time spent helping absent students to catch up on gaps in their learning. Students who attend school regularly can miss out also, as more of class time is devoted to helping those who missed days at school.

NEWB Board

The following is the current membership of the Board:

• Mr Cathal Flynn (Chairman)
• Mr Eddie Ward, Chief Executive Officer
• Mr Brendan Callaghan, Department of Justice, Equality & Law Reform
• Mr Declan Dunne, Ballymun Partnership
• Ms Fionnuala Kilfeather, National Parents Council
• Mr Gerry Mangan, Department of Social & Family Affairs
• Mr Fergal McCarthy, Teacher Unions
• Mr Gus O'Connell, FAS
• Mr Pat McSitric, Department of Education and Science
• Mr Donal O'Connor, Educational Welfare Officers
• Mr Gearoid Ó Maoilmhichil, Voluntary Bodies
• Sr. Eileen Randles, School Management Organisations
• Mr Seamus Moore, Health Service Executive

NEWB Management Team

Outlined below are the NEWB’s management team:

• Mr Eddie Ward, Chief Executive Officer
• Ms Laura Slevin, Director of Corporate Services
• Ms Nuala Doherty, Director of Educational Services

Corporate Services Managers:

• Ms Mairead Nalty, Human Resources and Training Manager
• Ms Caroline O’Flaherty, IT Manager
• Mr Seamus McSorely, Facilities/Services Manager
• Ms Rosena McShane, Finance Manager
• Ms Elaine O’Mahoney, Communications Manager

Educational Welfare Services Managers:

• Mr Colin Fallon, Regional Manager, Dublin City
• Mr Michael Doyle, Regional Manager, Leinster North
• Ms Jean Rafter, Regional Manager, Leinster South
• Mr Dan O’Shea, Regional Manager, Munster
• Ms Sarah O’Connor, Acting Regional Manager, West/North West

Contact Us

If you need to contact educational welfare staff, our contact details are as follows

Educational Helpline*
1890 36 36 666

Head Office
16 - 22 Green Street, Dublin 7
Tel: 01 873 8700
Fax: 01 873 8799
Email: info@newb.ie

Dublin City
Regional Manager, Colin Fallon
16 - 22 Green Street Dublin 7
Tel: 01 873 8600
Fax: 01 873 8699
Email: info@newb.ie

Leinster North
Regional Manager, Michael Doyle
16 - 22 Green Street Dublin 7
Tel: 01 873 8600
Fax: 01 873 8699
Email: info@newb.ie

Leinster South
Regional Manager, Jean Rafter
NEWB Tallaght South County Council Offices County Hall Block 2 Tallaght Dublin 24
Tel: 01 463 5516
Fax: 01 462 0212
Email: info@newb.ie

Munster
Regional Manager, Dan O'Shea
Block C Heritage Business Park Blackrock Cork
Tel: 021 453 6314
Fax: 021 453 6368
Email: info@newb.ie

West/North West
Acting Regional Manager, Sarah O'Connor
Unit 19 Sandyfort Business Centre Grealishtown Bohermore Galway
Tel: 091 385302
Fax: 091 760915
Email: info@newb.ie

* Note that the rates charged for the use of 1890 (LoCall) numbers may vary among different service providers