Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 28 November 2017
63. Deputy Denise Mitchell asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the funding allocated for the school completion programme; if the funding is sufficient to meet demand; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50170/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe total budget allocated to the School Completion Programme (SCP) in 2017 is €24.72m and my Department is currently working with the Educational Welfare Service of Tusla in relation to 2018 allocations. Under the Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools (DEIS) Plan 2017 a number of new schools are now included and will be joining the SCP from September 2018. In this regard it is anticipated that the provision of SCP supports in additional schools will require further resources to be made available to the SCP from 2018 onwards.
The School Completion Programme is a core element of the Educational Welfare Service provided by Tusla and I believe it is a crucial service for children, parents and schools. The SCP is a targeted fund which seeks to meet the needs of young people most at risk of early school leaving. The SCP aims to drive consistent improvement in the rates of school completion. It does this through the use of evidence based interventions to maintain vulnerable young people in mainstream education and to support young people who have dropped out of formal education to re-engage with learning.
The School Completion Programme is critical to ensuring that children who are most at risk of early school leaving are supported to stay in education. The further development of the School Completion Programme deserves careful reflection and analysis to ensure that it achieves the outcomes required. I also need ensure that services under the Programme are compliant with financial and governance rules, and that we have the best possible model of service delivery throughout the country. To this end, I am currently examining recommendations from the Educational Welfare Service of Tusla as to how best to strengthen and improve the Programme.
