Defining Roles and Responsibilities
Roles and responsibilities must be clearly defined in relation to supporting the student’s return to school to prevent ‘double-jobbing’ or duplication. For example, it is not best practice for both the Year Head and Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO) to call a parent/guardian regarding the same issue on the same day. This happens when there is a lack of clarity around roles and responsibilities. Roles and responsibilities should be set out in the school’s response plan to school avoidance. More information on this is covered under Section 2.6 of our Toolkit. The key personnel within the school who can oversee this are:
- Principal
- Deputy Principal
- Assistant Principal 1/Assistant Principal 2
- Year Head
- Tutor
- SENCO
- HSCL/SCP (if applicable)
- Guidance Counsellor
- Class Teacher
It is advised to consider delegating staff who have a strong relationship with the child or young person and their family. It might be beneficial to separate roles where necessary, for example the HSCL may be responsible for maintaining the link between school and the family, while an Attendance Officer or Assistant Principal oversees attendance tracking and monitoring.
Making the Most of DEIS Supports
The DEIS (Delivering Equality of Opportunity In Schools) Initiative is the most significant national (and centrally funded) initiative that targets support in disadvantaged communities, particularly urban areas. It is based on targeted support designed to deliver equality of opportunity in schools from Junior Infants to Post-Primary education (ages four/five to eighteen). The majority of schools in Dublin 24 have DEIS status.
All primary and post-primary schools participating in DEIS receive a range of additional resources including additional staffing, funding, access to literacy and numeracy programmes, and assistance with activities such as school planning.
Additionally, some schools involved with DEIS have other supports through the School Support Programme (SSP). As part of the SSP, interventions such as the Home School Community Liaison Scheme and the School Completion Programme (SCP) are available to DEIS urban primary schools and to DEIS post-primary schools. These additional supports are not available in all schools. If your school has these additional supports, it is advisable to use them as they are a valuable resource when addressing school avoidance.
Additional Resources
DEIS Information
More information on the DEIS Programme is available through the link below.