Home School Community Liaison Coordinator (HSCL)

Hi, My name is Owen Walters and I am the Home School Community Liaison (HSCL) Coordinator in Divine Mercy SNS.

Home School Community Liaison Coordinators are teachers on the staff of the school where they work. I am released from teaching duties and work full time liaising between the home, the school and the community. The HSCL programme is in place because we recognise that parents are the most important people in their children's lives and they are the first people to educate them. It is the job of the HSCL to build bonds between the school, the home and the community and to support parents in the education of their children.

Goals of the HSCL Scheme:

• To promote active co-operation between home, school and community agencies
• To raise awareness in parents of their own abilities to enhance their children’s education and to assist them in developing relevant skills
• To maximise active participation of the children in school
• To enhance the children’s uptake from education, their retention in the educational system, and their attitudes to life-long learning
• To spread the positive outcomes of the scheme throughout the school system generally

Part of my job includes:

• The Home School Community Liaison teacher visits many parents in their homes. This is the cornerstone of the Home School Community Liaison scheme and a very important part of the work of the coordinator. It helps form bonds of trust between home and school. These visits will be to offer advice and support if you have a problem relating to your child's education. Maybe they are not attending as often as they should be, are having troubles in their friendship groups or find it difficult getting organised for school.
• Organising courses and activities for parents such as cooking, crafts and first aid. All courses and events are free of charge.
• Sharing information between the school and home that could be helpful to you, the parents.
• Creating positive relationships between Divine Mercy SNS and the families of our students. As HSCL I have nothing to do with discipline in the school, my role is purely to support parents in their dealings with school.

I look forward to working together to help your children reach their potential here in Divine Mercy SNS.

You can contact me on 083 200 2449 or o.walters@dmbalgaddysns.ie

Thanks,

Owen