March 15th 2010
New Integrated Approach to School Attendance, Retention and Participation: March 2010 Progress Update

In May 2009 the Department of Education and Science extended the remit of the National Educational Welfare Board (NEWB) and charged it with developing a single, strategic approach to attendance, participation and retention in school to meet the needs of children who are at risk of early school leaving or of developing attendance problems.

A core part of the new strategy will be an integrated child and family centered education support service drawing on the skills, expertise and knowledge of four services - Home School Community Liaison (HSCL), School Completion Programme (SCP), Visiting Teacher Service for Travellers (VTST) and the Educational Welfare Service (EWS).

By combining the skills and strengths of staff from the four services along with those of teachers and other school-based personnel, the new integrated approach will help children who struggle to attend school to learn better and stay in school for longer.

Work has commenced on developing the new arrangements. An integrated management team has been established and is working effectively at national level. At local level, the four service strands are building on the strong working relationships already in place.

Following a public tendering process, Ms Anne Colgan was appointed Integration Project Consultant. Her role is to provide project management and change management advice and expertise for the development of the integrated service through all stages of planning, development and implementation.

The next step is to design the integrated service. A consultation with members of the Board and managers from all service areas takes place in March. The purpose of this session is to ensure that integration is based on a solid foundation of knowledge about current policy, evidence from research and service provision.

Consultations will also take place with local and national stakeholders. The consultations will provide an opportunity for groups to share views and ideas about the best ways of making sure that children, families and schools benefit from the new service.

The new integrated service is a positive development that aims to achieve better educational outcomes for all children. The successful integration will see the combined and distinct skills of staff from the four services (EWOs, HSCL, SCP and VTST), along with teachers and other school-based personnel, working seamlessly together to provide support to children and families in relation to attendance, participation and retention.

Further updates will be placed on the NEWB website as the work progresses.