Contributor to the publication of DCU National Anti-Bullying Research and Resource Centre’s Empowering Roma Children: Tackling Bullying and Victimisation in schools in Ireland, Policy Advisory and Guidelines (2021) https://antibullyingcentre.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Roma-Report-Empowering-Roma-Children.pdf

The report was produced by the National Anti-Bullying Research and Resource Centre (ABC) at Dublin City University (DCU), arising from research on the experiences of Roma children in schools in Ireland. The research was carried out over a two-year period as part of a project called Breathe: Bullying and Discrimination of Roma Children which was part-funded by the EU Commission under the Rights, Equality, and Citizenship Programme, the Department of Education under the Action Plan on Bullying (2013), and Dublin City University. The report was prepared by the research team in partnership with representatives from the Roma community.

The NTRIS (National Traveller and Roma Inclusion Strategy) Education Pilot began in January 2020. We were fortunate in the summer that our education workers were able to get out into the community and visit Traveller and Roma parents and children in the 14 schools in the pilot. The workers designed and distributed information fliers to the parents and the schools introducing them to the pilot. Gina and Rachel also ran a number of summer camps for Traveller and Roma children building a good relationship with them. We have set up a local steering committee to oversee the work of the education pilot. The first action undertaken by the steering committee was to participate in anti-racist training. To date there has been three sessions. Jim O’Connell, the Home School Community Liaison (HSCL), started with us in September. Jim, together with HSCL from the 14 schools and the Education Welfare Officers (EWOs) attached to the pilot schools completed three session of anti-racist training. We intend to roll out this training to all staff in the pilot schools thus ensuring everyone involved in the pilot is clear on what racism is and how we can develop models of good practice that deal with antiTraveller and anti-Roma racism.

Most of the pilot schools responded positively to our plans and welcome the extra support it provides to Traveller and Roma children in their schools. To date because of COVID-19 restrictions we have had only limited access to the schools but have maintained phone contact and developed a news letter for the schools, which has been a great way to keep them updated on the work of the pilot. Hopefully we will have more contact in the New Year. The pilot was meant to have 4 workers , a Roma education worker (Gina), a Traveller education worker (Rachel), a HSCL worker (Jim) and an EWO. The Dept of Education has not yet managed to recruit an EWO so instead they will employ third education worker.