158. Deputy Paula Butterly asked the Minister for Education and Youth for an update on the pilot expansion of the home school community liaison scheme to high-need non-DEIS schools; whether consideration is being given to making the scheme permanent and extending it to further schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74928/26]

Addressing educational disadvantage in all schools remains a key priority for me as Minister for Education and Youth.

The HSCL scheme is a core element of the DEIS programme and forms part of the wider Tusla Education Support Service (TESS). HSCL coordinators are teachers assigned to work directly with parents, guardians, school staff and community services to strengthen engagement between home, school and community. The overarching aim of HSCL is to improve attendance, participation and retention, particularly for children and young people experiencing educational disadvantage.

Under the DEIS Strategy to 2035, a pilot project was introduced to extend Home-School-Community-Liaison (HSCL) provision to 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.

Budget 2027 provides an additional €3 million from September 2027, rising to €9 million on a full-year basis from September 2028, to support a targeted expansion of the HSCL scheme for children and young people at risk of educational disadvantage. A detailed approach on the targeting of this additional funding is currently being developed.

The implementation and outcomes of the HSCL pilot project will continue to be monitored and evaluated to inform future planning. 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.