1. Northside Partnership
A Community Based Approach
to
Promote Educational Achievement
and
Combat Educational Disadvantage.

2. Northside Partnership
 Founded 1991 to address long term unemployment
 One of 38 Partnership companies nationally
 Programme covers 4 broad areas: Employment, Enterprise, Lifelong
Education and Community Development.
 Catchment area includes Postal Districts of Dublin 3, 5, 13, and 17 as
well as parts of Dublin 9.
 Population of c.127,000 in catchment area
 NSP has identified 10 priority districts where the focus of our supports
are prioritised.
 Focus of today’s short presentation is to look at the development,
focus and future direction of NSP’s education programme.

3. Northside Partnership Catchment Area – New area in Red

4. Our Approach
 Identifying needs and gaps in policy and provision.
 Researching and developing responses to these needs/gaps
 Activating partnerships to meet identified needs.
 Developing and maintaining relationships at all levels
 Facilitating/enabling service providers to work together
 Accessing funding opportunities
 Managing interventions on behalf of and in partnership with
community, voluntary and statutory organisations.
 Providing governance, technical and financial support
 Priority Groups (Most Marginalised): Unemployed, Lone Parents,
Travellers, Early School Leavers, People with Disabilities etc.

5. Identifying the Need
 Evidence Base:
 Census Data – Trutz Haase Index and SAPS
 Local Area Based Research – i.e. Schools Survey 2001/2002.
 Profiling of service users
 Consultations
 Focused Needs Analysis – i.e. Children’s Profile at School Entry
 Key Informants:- Partner Agencies, Govt. Departments & Local
Communities

6. Responses
 Similar to most organisations in Ireland we have
responded to identified needs on a need by need basis.
 This led to the development of a wide range of
responses – some successful and others not.
 Planning has become a lot more strategic in recent
years.
 Involvement in the PEIP programme has enhanced
NSP’s work as we have adopted the learning and
approaches into the wider partnership work.

7. Education Starting Points
 Dual Approach: A) Supporting engagement and progression
 Progression rates to 3rd level were frighteningly low in some
areas i.e. Dublin 17 - 1% in 1991.
 Programmes established to promote and support students.
 Higher Education Support Scheme (HESS): – Providing
Guidance, Financial Supports and Advice to students attending
further and higher education.
 Education Trust: Awarding scholarships to students from low
income families.
 Challenger: Identifying students with potential at 5th Class
primary and provided a range of out of school supports through
primary and post-primary. Parents participation a requirement.

8. Education Starting Point contd.
 B) Actions to promote engagement with education
 Breakfast Clubs
 Early School Leaver Initiatives
 Attendance Monitoring and Supports
 Advocacy for students in need of support
 Investing in quality improvements in second chance i.e.
Youthreach, CTC.
 Focus on Traveller participation in education – school
attendance, completion of primary, transition to post-primary.
 Early years and school based interventions/supports

9. Progress
 Integration: Integration with existing services has become a
feature of all interventions over the past 5 years.
 Establishment of Local Schools Networks in 2000 leading to the
formation of a Regional Education Network in 2006. This is a
network of the 71 education providers at primary, post-primary,
third level and second chance in the NSP area.
 Prevention and Early Intervention: Development of partnerships
to deliver prevention and early intervention approaches:
Preparing for Life, Síolta, Storytime, Health Realted Programmes.
 Use of Evidence: Preparing for Life, Young Community Leaders,
Storytime.

10. Outcomes and Learning
 Outcomes:
 Participation has improved – better school attendance, less early school
leaving and improved progression rates.
 However priority communities still lag well behind national averages.
 Learning:
 We had to become more focused and not try to meet all needs
 The importance of using evidence to inform approaches and having clear
measurable outcome goals.
 We have by “accident or design” created a number of highly effective
interventions over the years – Challenger 80%+ progression to 3rd Level,
HESS supported over 5,000 students at 3rd level with very high retention and
completion levels.
 Need to research – we are engaging Ph.D. students to track students we
supported over the years to measure longer term outcomes and impacts.
 Change and integration need catalysts and NSP sees its role as being such a
catalyst.

11. Leading in the future
 Area based integrated approaches are required to deliver the
outcomes we all desire i.e. Youngballymun
 NSP is already involved in life cycle approach across our
programmes.
 At a political and policy level the implementation of area based
approaches to tackle poverty, education disadvantage etc. has
to be embraced.
 We are already committed to an integrated services approach
and we feel we can play a leading role in being a driver of area
based approaches to delivering better child, family and
community outcomes.

12. Department of
Department of Department of Children Department of Environment,
Foreign Affairs and Youth Affairs Education and Skills Community and Local
Government
Department of Dublin City Childcare
Private Donors POBAL
Social Protection Committee
Schools & Colleges &
Universities Local Authority
Northside
Partnership
Community &
Early Years Settings
Voluntary Groups
Atlantic
PEI Sites HSE Local Representatives
Philanthropies
Businesses FAS Drugs Task Force European Union