Minister Foley announces new roles to support Traveller and Roma pupils and students

Minister for Education Norma Foley TD has today announced €1.25 million in funding to establish 12 Community Link Worker roles to support Traveller and Roma children and young people and those most at risk of educational disadvantage.

This is a key action under the Traveller and Roma Education Strategy (TRES) and the National Traveller and Roma Inclusion Strategy (NTRIS II) to enhance positive engagement between schools, families and communities to support the learning and improve educational outcomes of Traveller and Roma children and young people. Building community and family links with education through peer-led support is an action recommended in the OECD Education for Inclusive Societies project Review of Resourcing Schools to Address Educational Disadvantage in Ireland.

Community Link Workers will work across a number of schools in areas where there are high numbers of Traveller and Roma children and young people. Their roles will focus on fostering greater engagement with Traveller and Roma families to facilitate successful communication, promote positive relationships and to support the learning of Traveller and Roma children and young people. The link workers will provide vital engagement between schools and communities.

Department of Education and Tusla Education Support Service (TESS) officials will work in close collaboration with Traveller and Roma organisations in developing the Community Link Worker roles, identifying the specific needs of the families and communities and ensuring they are providing support where it is needed most.

The hiring of community link workers is based on the recommendations/findings of the Traveller and Roma Education Strategy published in July. It also follows the publication of the OECD Education for Inclusive Societies project Review of Resourcing Schools to Address Educational Disadvantage in Ireland.

Notes for the Editor

Based on identifying areas with high numbers of Traveller and Roma children and young people enrolled in schools , the twelve areas listed below have been selected as locations where Community Link Worker roles will be established. The link worker role will be responsible for supporting engagement between Traveller and Roma families and communities and schools in these areas. The department will work with the Traveller and Roma organisations to design the role to best achieve this aim.

1. Ballymun/Finglas/Darndale

2. Tallaght/Clondalkin

3. Wexford

4. East Galway / Roscommon Town

5. Galway City

6. Cork City

7. Ennis

8. Longford

9. Limerick City

10. Louth

11. Kerry

12. Mullingar

Traveller and Roma Education Strategy (TRES) 2024-2030

The Traveller and Roma Education Strategy (TRES) 2024-2030 and the Plan for implementation and action 2024-2026, was published on 16 July 2024. The TRES was developed by the Department of Education, together with the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth and the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science and in close collaboration with Traveller and Roma organisations and other key stakeholders.

This strategy is specifically developed to meet the needs of the children, young people and adults from the Traveller and Roma communities with the aim of enhancing their education experience and success.

The plan for implementation and action 2024-2026 outlines a number of actions to be implemented and supported across early learning and care, school and tertiary education. The introduction of community link workers recognises the importance of supporting both the Traveller and Roma children and young people and their families to increase engagement and awareness of available services and resources to improve attendance, participation and retention in school.

OECD Review of Resourcing Schools to Address Educational Disadvantage in Ireland

In July 2023, Minister Foley announced that the OECD Education for Inclusive Societies project had been invited to conduct a review of Ireland’s resource allocation approach to address educational disadvantage at school level to inform future policy in this area.

The review, published in July 2024, found that while Ireland has a comparatively equitable education system and that the DEIS programme contributes strongly to that, gaps in outcomes remain for those children and young people experiencing the highest levels of disadvantage.

The review recommends the use of cultural mediators or a similar role who can support schools and teachers to reach out to Traveller and Roma children and young people and their families to facilitate successful communication, promote positive relationships and to support the learning of Traveller and Roma children and young people. The report is available at OECD Review of resourcing schools to address educational disadvantage in Ireland and supporting documents

Tusla Education Support Service (TESS) provide a three-strand integrated service through the School Completion Programme (SCP), the statutory Education Welfare Service (EWS) and the Home School Community Liaison scheme (HSCL) to provide a robust continuum of support and intervention aimed to improve the education experience and outcomes for children and young people at risk of early school leaving and educational disadvantage.