Waterford City and county is currently operating without any educational welfare officers (EWOs), leaving a significant gap in services to monitor and address school absenteeism in one of Munster’s most disadvantaged areas.
All three EWO positions in the county are vacant and will remain unfilled until at least May, according to Education Minister Helen McEntee’s response to a parliamentary question from Sinn Féin TD Conor McGuinness.
This staffing shortage comes at a critical time when school attendance is a growing concern nationwide. During the 2022/23 school year, more than 25% of primary school children and 20% of post-primary students missed at least a month of school.
“Teachers and professionals in the education sector are very concerned about increases in school non-attendance, particularly following covid,” McGuinness said, adding that the absence of these officers is “having a real impact on the ground” and affecting multi-disciplinary efforts to engage with at-risk children.
Minister McEntee indicated that a national recruitment campaign is underway, with a new panel expected by early March and positions to be filled from this panel in May. In the interim, the Department of Education states that “a senior educational welfare officer and a duty educational welfare officer are currently providing service” to the region.
According to The Irish Examiner, the department noted that there are currently 150 EWOs and more than 25 senior EWOs nationwide, an increase since Tusla Education Support Services came under Department of Education control in 2020.