Barnardos Welcomes Deis Plus Scheme

25th March. Barnardos welcomes the publication of the Deis Plus Scheme and the accompanying additional resources set out this morning by Minister Naughton. It has been very positive to see the Department of Education create such a progressive plan and respond to the calls for additional support from schools and principals in some of the most disadvantaged communities across the country.

It is positive to see the scheme being targeted, through comprehensive data, at those areas experiencing the greatest disadvantage. Barnardos provides services in 22 of the 27 most disadvantaged areas across the country (labelled either extremely or very disadvantaged under the Pobal Disadvantage Index). We know first-hand that children in these communities are more likely to face adverse childhood experiences, such as parental addiction and poor parental mental health. Additionally, these communities as a whole can be facing elevated levels of crime and anti-social behaviour, poor housing standards of and a lack of suitable accommodation, disproportionate levels of poverty and a lack of appropriate services. Combined, these can lead to children and young people struggling to engage with education to their full potential.

The additional supports and resources set out within the Scheme, and the flexibility provided to schools, should help address some barriers and improve school engagement for many children and young people who are struggling and provide them with better opportunities for achieving their potential in regards educational attainment. We know from direct experience across our services that this plays a significant role in their development and future opportunities and likelihood to experience poverty in later life.

For the Scheme to be successful it will be vital that there is involvement with wider community supports within school communities. Increasing support directly to children is important but so too is addressing underlying issues within the home and parental adversities that may be the root cause of school disengagement. It is positive to see this acknowledged within the scheme.

Monica Hynds Barnardos Director of Development said: ‘The scheme announced today will make a significant difference to the lives of many of the children we support across the country. We witness every day in our services across the country the difficulties many have engaging with school and education and the negative impact this can have on their immediate and future lives. The supports announced today improve engagement and we look forward to supporting the roll out of the scheme, working with schools to address the harm and trauma children are dealing with that is leading to issues with education.’