Regional Offices Department of Education and Science DES

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• Regional Offices - Department of Education and
  Science (DES)
• Dominic Sullivan, Assistant Principal Officer
• Southern Regional Office
• PLANET - The Partnerships Network
• Tullamore 9 September 2005

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Background Cromien Report

• Highly centralised Department
• Exceptional level of customer dependency on
  Central Department
• Absence of local structures contributing to heavy
  volume of work at centre
• Impression of Department as remote and difficult
  to access
• Increased politicial representations concerning
  minor administrative issues

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Cromiens solution

• Establish 10 Regional Offices
• One stop shop basis
• NEPS, Special Education Needs Organisers,
  National Educational Welfare Board, etc. in same
  building
• Economies of scale, facilitate exchange of
  information/collaboration between agencies

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Regional Offices - established

• Southern June 2003
• (open to public from 16 Feb 2004)
• South Eastern Sept 2003
• North Western Oct 2003
• Mid Western Nov 2003
• Dublin South County
• North Eastern
• Kildare/Wicklow

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Regional Offices

• Midlands
• Western
• Dublin City Fingal (late 2005)

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Regional OfficesStructural Context

• Regional Offices are part of a larger DES
  structure, including
• Department Head Office (Dublin)
• 2 decentralised locations (Athlone, Tullamore)
• 4 DES Inspectorate offices (Cork, Galway,
  Limerick, Sligo)
• National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS)
  Head Office (Dublin)
• 10 NEPS regional locations (being established)

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Structural Context (continued)

• Special Education Council (Head Office)
• 10 regional locations for Special Education Needs
  Organisers
• National Educational Welfare Board Head Office
  (Dublin)
• 10 regional locations of National Educational
  Welfare Board (being established)
• 33 VECs
• 20 full and 10 part time Education Centres

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Regional Offices and VECs

• Regional Offices will not assume any of the
  functions of the VECs
• The Regional Offices are not intended to replace
  the VECs on the City and County Development
  Boards
• Regional Offices are an additional resource
  established as a result of a Government decision
• The level of staffing for Regional Offices will
  not enable local delivery of Department services
• Staff of the Regional Offices are direct
  employees of the Department and will represent
  the DES at local/regional level

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Regional Offices external context

• Agreed Programme for Government
• Emphasis on tackling social exclusion
• Implementation of the National Anti-Poverty
  Strategy
• Emphasis on tackling the drugs problem
• Development of RAPID (Revitalising Areas by
  Planning, Investment and Development) and CLAR
  (Ceantair Laga Ard-Riachtanais) Rural

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Summary of functions Regional Offices

• Represent DES on the City and County Development
  Boards, including Social Inclusion Measures
  Groups (SIM) and Education Training Forums
• Represent DES on Local and Regional Drugs Task
  Forces
• Contribute to the implementation of the National
  Drugs Strategy

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Summary of functions continued

• Responsibility for educational components of
  RAPID and CLÁR programmes
• Identify education issues arising at local level,
  particularly gaps/overlap in social inclusion
  provision, and provide regular reports to DES

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Summary of functions continued

• Monitor delivery of agreed Regional/Area plans
  (education service provision aspects)
• Ensure complementarity of regional initiatives
  designed to tackle disadvantage
• Engage with local interests on matters relating
  to educational disadvantage

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Summary of functions continued

• Work with VECs, Area Partnerships, Education
  Centres and other local service providers
• Facilitate dialogue/cooperation between providers
  of education services at regional level

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Summary of functions continued

• Liaise with local authorities and County
  Development Boards in roll out and implementation
  of National Spatial Strategy
• Provide information to DES relating to School
  Planning and Accommodation issues e.g. potential
  for amalgamation/ rationalisation, availability
  and use of spare accommodation, etc.

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Summary of functions continued

• Provide regional input/context to assist both the
  operational and policy areas of DES
• Provide material as required by DES, e.g.,
  speeches, briefings for Minister, annual
  publications, PQs and other political
  representations, etc.
• Manage Visiting Teacher Service for Travellers
  (VTST)
• Manage Visiting Teacher Service for Sensory
  Impaired

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Summary of functions- continued

• Act as a single point of contact for information
  and advice to the public on education services
  available
• Use of IT resources maximised
  i.e. extensive use of Internet/website,
  touchscreen information kiosks in public office
• Cooperate/collaborate with local agencies engaged
  in information provision

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Regional Offices

• DES core staffing in each Regional Office
• 1 Assistant Principal Officer
• 1 Senior or Divisional Inspector
• 1 Higher Executive Officer
• 1 Executive Officer
• 1 Clerical Officer

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Southern Regional Office

• Covers Cork and Kerry
• Open to public since February 2004
• Regional Office Manager (AP) appointed June 03
• Tadhg Glavin, Divisional Inspector, appointed
  August 2003
• Caroline Rinn EO, appointed Oct 2003
• Fiona Jeffery CO, appointed Jan 2004
• John Corcoran HEO/administration manager,
  appointed September 2004

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Directorate of Regional Services

• Frank Wyse - Director
• Ian Murphy - Assistant Chief Inspector
• (temporary vacany) Principal Officer
• Andrew Diggins, APO (acting Principal Officer)
• Support staff

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Other educational service providers based in
Mahon office

• Educational Welfare Officers (NEWB)
• Educational Psychologists (NEPS)
• Special Education Needs Organisers (NCSE)
• Schools Inspectorate

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• Thank you for your attention
• Go raibh míle maith agaibh