Brian Brennan
Question:362. Deputy Brian Brennan asked the Minister for Education and Youth the process by which a school can apply for a home liaison officer. [68039/26]
View answerTuesday, 29 September 2026
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Written answers
Addressing educational disadvantage in all schools is a key priority for me as Minister for Education and Youth. The Home-School Community Liaison (HSCL) scheme is a core element of the DEIS programme and of the wider Tusla Education Support Service (TESS). HSCL coordinators are teachers assigned for a maximum of five years to work directly with parents, guardians, school staff and community services to strengthen engagement between home, school and the community. The overarching aim of HSCL is to improve attendance, participation and retention, particularly for children and young people experiencing educational disadvantage.
Urban DEIS primary schools, all DEIS post-primary schools and all schools in the DEIS Plus scheme are currently included in the HSCL scheme. However, I am aware that there are children and young people at risk of educational disadvantage in all schools.
The DEIS Strategy to 2035, launched in March, is first long-term, whole-system approach to addressing educational disadvantage. This strategy acknowledges that students at risk of educational disadvantage are present in all schools.
Under the DEIS Strategy to 2035, a pilot project was introduced to extend Home-School-Community-Liaison (HSCL) provision to approximately 130 schools that are in the DEIS Rural band and outside the DEIS programme. This pilot provides an important opportunity to trial the extension of this support to additional schools and to inform future policy development in relation to the scheme.
Schools included in the HSCL pilot project were identified using nationally available data relating to concentrations of educational disadvantage. Operational factors, including clustering feasibility and regional capacity requirements, were also considered to support implementation of the pilot at this stage.
Any future allocation of resources, including any potential further extension of the pilot, will be considered over the lifetime of the DEIS Strategy to 2035 and in the context of available resources.