BREAKFAST and homework clubs which aim to help vulnerable young people are set to be closed because of Department of Education cutbacks, staff have warned.
The trade union Impact said services for up to 25,000 vulnerable children will be affected by Government plans to achieve payroll savings of 3 per cent.
It said that over 120 school completion programmes, which employ 189 full-time and 566 part-time staff in providing support for vulnerable and disadvantaged students at risk of leaving school early, would face "impossible choices" if they were to meet the savings target. But Minister for Education Batt O'Keeffe insisted that the cut, demanded last week, would not lead to a major reduction in services. A spokesman said education providers such as teachers would not be affected.
The much-praised programmes provide in-school, after-school and out-of-school services that are designed to keep at-risk children in full-time education. The overall spend on the programmes is less than €32 million, with most of the money going to the provision of services in schools.
Yesterday, Niall Weldon, chairman of Impact's school completion programme branch, said: "The information we have received indicates that vulnerable children are set to lose out on a range of essential services".
He said details from cutbacks to the projects nationwide include:
In the Munster region two projects are cutting back on staff at their breakfast clubs. Cuts to staff hours will also affect out-of-school supports, homework clubs and mentoring programmes;
In Leinster one project is going to have to cut its breakfast club, homework clubs and behavioural supports, while another project will have to make cuts to counselling, attendance tracking and homework clubs;
In the Dublin West region there are plans to reduce staff hours, after-school services and for an overall reduction in breakfast club services. Support teaching hours for children in mathematics are also to be cut;
In Dublin Central cuts are likely in psychotherapy services and the family club.
The department said that the cut in payroll costs would not lead to any "significant diminution of services or job losses".
Mr Weldon said: "The reality is that no matter where we make changes . . . the results for vulnerable children will be devastating."