Parents
Advice and guidance for parents on a range of issues
including - school behaviour and school discipline procedures (including suspensions and expulsions); bullying; child protection at school; how to make a complaint to your child's school; and Independent Counselling Service in School.
The Department has a strong network of contacts within the Education and Library Boards, particularly with the Education Welfare Service, Behaviour Support Teams, Child Protection Support Service for Schools and Education Psychology.
Our responsibilities include:
- Promoting positive behaviour and regular attendance at school (includes school discipline policies, suspensions and expulsions, attendance, anti-bullying programme, alternative educational provision and support services for pupils);
- Safeguarding pupils - (covers all aspects of child protection policy and guidance within the education sector and the listing of persons as unsuitable to work with children);
- Supporting children at risk due to individual circumstances - (covers schools counselling, targeted support/initiatives for specific groups such as school aged mothers, looked after children, young carers, young offenders);
- Educational arrangements for newcomer pupils for whom English is a second language;
- Educational arrangements for pupils from the Traveller and Roma communities; and
- Educational arrangements for pupils from Service Personnel Families
Further to information provided in this section of the site, additional information can be found in the Support and Development section.
The Pupil Support Unit can be contacted at psu@deni.gov.uk or 028 9127 9842
The AEN Team can be contacted at additionaleducationalneedsteam@deni.gov.uk or 028 9127 9576.
Help and advice is available from a range of organisations -
National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC)
