Page 63 - Guiding-at-risk-youth-through-learning-to-work-Lessons-from-across-Europe

Guiding at-risk youth through learning to work
Lessons from across Europe

responsibility of helping immigrant children and their parents to familiarise
themselves with the system.
The 2004 and 2007 EU enlargements have increased migration within the
EU and led to a subsequent call for the development of targeted guidance
policies addressing the educational integration of migrant children in the EU-15.
In 2005, the Irish Department of Education and Science established a steering
committee to coordinate its response to the education needs of migrants in
Ireland. During the academic year 2006-07 over 1 250 new support teachers
were employed to assist recently-arrived immigrant children in Irish schools;
relevant information on the education system was translated into various
languages. This can reduce feelings of uncertainty and isolation among migrant
parents and children.
New measures are also being developed to support the education integration
of asylum seekers. A growing number of Member States are lifting legal
restrictions and offering asylum seekers above compulsory school age the
opportunity to follow mainstream education and training or to take part in
specifically developed educational and vocational programmes (GHK Consulting
Ltd, 2009). There is, however, a significant divergence between practices
concerning school education of children whose parents have come to the country
as refugees (ibid.). In some, such as Denmark and Portugal, asylum seekers of
compulsory school age are not allowed to register with mainstream education
and training institutes, raising a need for guidance and integration support if their
application proves successful at a later date. In others, children not only have the
right to attend compulsory education but are also offered tutorials, and additional
guidance and support. In Belgium, pupils can attend special reception classes,
although they are often subject to long waiting times. In the Czech Republic,
young asylum seekers attend a special class for a year to learn Czech and attain
the education level corresponding to their age.

4.2.6. Tackling truancy and improving wellbeing at school
For many young people, truancy is often a symptom of deeper underlying issues.
It is also frequently the first visible sign that a young person is encountering
difficulties in some area of their life. Truancy is an indicator that a child is
disengaging from school and that they need to be encouraged and supported to
remain in education and move forward with their lives.
Research indicates that young people who are truants are more likely to drop
out of school. Truancy has been found to be associated with substance abuse,
gang membership and involvement in criminal activities. Studies indicate that, in
many cases, several factors lead to a young person playing truant: family

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