June 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.

Mission

The mission of the NEWB is to maximise the level of educational participation of children and young people by ensuring that each child is attending school or otherwise participating in an appropriate education.

Values

The following values inform the NEWB – they are integral to our Strategic Plan for 2005 – 2007 (Every Day Counts) and are fundamental guiding principles for our work. They imbue the way the NEWB goes about its work as an organisation, with its partners in education and in carrying out its remit:

• Putting the best interests ofchildren and young people first
• Advancing educational equality for all children
• Supporting and enabling our staff
• Operating to high standards of corporate governance
• Working inclusively and collaboratively.

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 emphasizing these aspects in its work over the next two years.

Developing Interagency and collaborative working practices

The reasons for non-attendance at school are complex. Some factors affecting attendance are embedded in the social and economic circumstances of a family or an entire community; some may arise out of children’s experience of learning and education; community culture, family culture and school culture all play a part in shaping patterns of attendance and non-attendance.

In recognition of the cross-cutting nature of the factors impacting on school attendance, under Section 12 of the Education (Welfare) Act the NEWB is charged with ensuring that there is consistency and strong co-ordination with the work and policy development of a wide range of Government Departments and state agencies. The Board also recognises the potential for achieving its mission through building partnerships with agencies that have similar objectives.

Developing inter-agency working and structures for collaboration with these agencies and organizations is a key strategic goal for the Board.

Revelant policy developments

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. Home visits are an essential  part of an EWOs work 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 under the Act were in taken in 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.

• 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: over 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: To date, 315 children have registered with the NEWB as being home educated.
• 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: On 30th April 2007, the National Educational Welfare Board commenced a consultation process involving national associations of parents, recognised school management organisations, trade unions, staff associations representing teacher and other relevant organisations, children and young people on draft Guidelines for Developing School Codes of Behaviour.
  These draft Guidelines were prepared on foot of NEWB’s responsibility under Section 23 of the Education (Welfare) Act, 2000 which states that the Board of Management of each school must prepare and make available a Code of Behaviour in respect of its students and requires that the school Code of Behaviour be prepared in accordance with Guidelines issued by the National Educational Welfare Board (NEWB).
  The draft Guidelines bring together guidance on good practice, both local and international, and essential information on relevant aspects of the law. They aim to standardise practices and approaches and provide practical guidance on how to develop an inclusive, child centred, behavioural policy that promotes a positive teaching and learning environment, whether schools are preparing a Code for the first time or auditing an existing one. The Guidelines strike a balance between prescribing detail on the one hand and the need for each school to develop its own policies and practices that best suit its circumstances and ethos.
  The feedback from this consultation process will inform the Guidelines for Developing School Codes of Behaviour which will be issued to all schools, primary and post primary, in the 2007 / 2008 school year.
  The NEWB’s draft Guidelines on Developing School Codes of Behaviour are available on www.newb.ie. Readers are also invited to submit feedback on-line or in writing to the National Educational Welfare Board, 16 – 22 Green Street, Dublin 7.
• Protocol with schools: work is advanced on developing a protocol with schools which will clarify responsibilitiesaround 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 and the Department of Education and Science.
• 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 website, www.schoolreturn.ie, has been established which enables schools to manage and report absences in a safe and efficient way.
• Section 29 (1) of the Education (Welfare) Act, 2000: Section 29 of the Education (Welfare) Act, 2000 is concerned with the establishment and maintenance by the National Educational Welfare Board of a register of young persons aged 16 and 17 who leave school to take up employment. The purpose of the register is to ensure that the young people concerned continue to participate in education until they reach 18 years of age. NEWB have not been in a position to assign resources to setting up the register. However all applicants who contact the NEWB are recorded.
• Section 14 (19) of the Education (Welfare) Act, 2000: A proposal has been submitted to the Department of Education and Science regarding the prescription of programmes of education delivered outside of recognised schools, for example in centres of education and Youthreach Centres, under S 14(19) of the Education (Welfare) Act, 2000. Under section 14 of the Act, there is a requirement to ensure that every child is receiving a “certain minimum education”. The section provides for an assessment process which is supported by guidelines issued by the Minister. The Board’s proposal essentially means that education provision which has been either evaluated by the Department’s Inspectorate or validated through the FETAC framework would be prescribed and would not therefore be subject to the assessment under the Act.

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.

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

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

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