Home School Community Liaison Scheme (HSCL)

The Home School Community Liaison Scheme (HSCL) is a key component of the Department of Education's efforts to combat educational disadvantage. It aims to improve educational outcomes for students at risk of poor attendance, participation, and retention. HSCL Coordinators are fully registered and experienced teachers who work in partnership with significant adults in a child's life to enhance educational outcomes. They engage with parents, the school, and the community, offering support and guidance to help students reach their full potential. The HSCL Scheme is funded through the Department of Education and Youth and managed by Tusla’s Educational Support Service (TESS).

Under DEIS (Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools) the Home School Community Liaison Scheme (HSCLC) seeks to promote partnership between parents, teachers, and community family support services. A HSCL Coordinator is a teacher from a participating school/s who is released from teaching duties, for a maximum of five years, in order to work intensively with and support parents/guardians. The overarching goal of the HSCL Coordinator is to improve educational outcomes for children through their work with the key adults in the child’s life. Tusla Education Support Service (TESS) has operational responsibility for the HSCL Scheme. The HSCL Coordinator works in an integrated way with the other two strands of TESS: School Completion Programme (SCP) and Educational Welfare Service Statutory (EWS), in order to provide appropriate initiatives and interventions for families. The scheme also supports families as their children transition from early education to primary school, from primary school to post-primary school and finally from post-primary school to further and higher education, training, or employment.

HSCL - Home School Community Liaison

TESS Management Team Contact Details