THE CHILD AND Family Agency have been criticised for the continued absence of any Educational Welfare Officers in Dublin 3, 5 and 17.
The EWO positions cannot be filled because of the moratorium on public service recruitment.
The Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, James Reilly, stated that: “Arrangements are in place so that schools in these areas continue to have access to support from the Education Welfare Service.”
He said that, “currently this support is being provided, to the extent possible, by the Senior EWO for the area.
It has become necessary to prioritise those cases where students are out of school, expelled or have special education needs in complex situations.
The Minister said the Education Welfare Service is now being reorganised in the greater Dublin area.
Deputy Tommy Brogan raised his concern about the situation, saying, “In my own constituency of Dublin Bay North, there is only one EWO for an area with 50,000 households.
This is completely unacceptable and could result in some children falling through the gaps because of the prioritisation of the more difficult and complex cases.
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