Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 20 January 2026
481. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth the staff complement in the children missing in education team; if she is satisfied that it is sufficient to deliver this important work; the measurement of same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3399/26]
View answerTusla Education Support Service (TESS), which includes the statutory Educational Welfare Service (EWS), is under the remit of my department and operates under the Education (Welfare) Act, 2000. The primary role of the EWS is to ensure that every child either attends school regularly or otherwise receives a certain minimum education to ensure and secure every child’s entitlement to education.
Educational welfare officers (EWOs) are based throughout the country to offer advice and guidance to parents who need support in ensuring that their child attends schools regularly. They work with children, young people and their families who are experiencing difficulty with school attendance; this is done through, home visits, educational welfare conferences and collaboratively working with different agencies. The main priority of the work is around the welfare of children and young people and to ensure that concerns around attendance are addressed before attendance becomes a crisis issue. EWOs also support parents and guardians who are experiencing difficulty in securing a school placement for their child.
All referrals received by the EWS are screened and assessed by a senior educational welfare officer and receive a response to indicate whether the case has been allocated to an EWO, the case is on a waiting list, or the referral has not met the criteria for intervention by an EWO and the reasons why.
The TESS, Children Missing in Education (CME) Team was established in July 2025 to centralise, review and update the long standing regional standard business processes for CME referrals. This team is currently comprised of two EWOs, a senior educational welfare officer (SEWO) and is supported by a fulltime administrator. The team report to a TESS Regional Manager. Two additional EWOs will join the team on a temporary basis in 2026.
