‘Professional Buddies’: the role of Home-School Community Liaison Coordinators and Parent Officers in tackling educational underachievement across Ireland

A new report from CREU which seeks to gain a clearer understanding of the role of Home-School Community Liaison Officers (HSCLs) across the Republic of Ireland in comparison with the similar Parent Officer role in Northern Ireland, was recently launched at the 2022 SCoTENS Annual Conference, which took place at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Dundalk on 20-21 October 2022.

‘The BUDDIES Study’ was one of two research projects funded by the Shared Island-SCoTENS Research Partnership, announced by the Taoiseach Micheál Martin TD in December 2021.

Led by CREU’s Assistant Director and Stranmillis University College’s Head of PGCE Early Years, Dr Glenda Walsh supported by Stranmillis colleagues Dr Jill Dunn, Dr Ken Gibson, Dr Karen Orr and Dr Franka Winter, the cross-border project was undertaken in collaboration with Dr Seaneen Sloan of University College Dublin and Clíohdna Martin of Dublin’s Marino Institute of Education.

The HSCL scheme in the South and Parent Officer role in the North aim to support families in areas of high deprivation whose children are at risk of educational disadvantage. The purpose of the study was to learn more about the ‘lived reality’ of these roles across the island, at pre-school, primary and post-primary levels.

Some of the main findings of the study were that:

• In terms of the policy context, the role of the Parent Officer in the North is much less formalized than that of the HSCL Coordinator in the South, where the role is clearly defined with a long history and high profile at a national level. While both are targeted to benefit pupils and families from disadvantaged social groups, pre-school and rural schools are excluded from the HSCL scheme in the South, while school phase and geographical location are not distinguished by the funding streams in the North. However, in the North it is at the discretion of the Principal/Senior leader whether they invest in the role of Parent Officer or something else.
• In terms of practice, the study found that being warm, sensitive, caring, approachable and empathetic, as well as genuine, trustworthy and a good communicator, were deemed essential characteristics for the HSCLs/Parent Officer to ensure success in their role – a ‘professional’ buddy. HSCLs/Parent Officers also engaged in similar activities, such as relaxed events to nurture healthy relationships between teachers and parents as well as between parents themselves, to more structured activities to familiarize parents with the school and upskilling them to support their children’s learning at home. The range of activities carried out in both jurisdictions across all settings was found to be in line with best practice in the literature.
• In terms of the value of the role, the study highlighted that HSCLs/Parent Officers were seen as essential North and South to making family engagement a success. HSCLs/Parents Officers improved communication between schools and familie, reducing barriers to learning by ensuring ‘the best school experience possible’ for the children, while increasing attendance and enhancing academic outcomes.
• In terms of tackling educational disadvantage, it was found that one of the main impacts of HSCLs/Parent Officers was in helping to break down barriers and changing mindsets to address parents’ own negative recollections of schooling. HSCLs/Parent Officers were considered “vitally, vitally important” by families for the support they provided as the direct link to the schools. The study also showed that those in the role also helped teachers to fully appreciate the challenges of disadvantage, enabling all children, irrespective of their background, the opportunity to reach their full educational potential.

The full report The BUDDIES Study – BUilding BriDges, DimInishing Educational DiSadvantage: Examining the Role of Home-School Community Liaison (HSCL) across the island of Ireland can be accessed here.