QUB Researchers Call for Continued Support for Alternative Education
Researchers Dr Montserrat Fargas Malet and Dr Siobhán McAlister, with EOTAS practitioner Kate Moscato, outline why protecting and funding community-based alternative education is crucial for upholding children’s rights and ensuring they can access sa
A new blog written by Dr Montserrat Fargas Malet and Dr Siobhán McAlister from the Centre for Children’s Rights at Queen’s University Belfast, in collaboration with community-based EOTAS teacher Kate Moscato, explores why sustained investment in alternative education is essential for supporting some of Northern Ireland’s most vulnerable young people.
Drawing on findings from the ESRC-funded RADICAL project and Kate’s frontline experience, the authors highlight the transformative impact of community-based EOTAS provision. The blog shares young people’s own reflections—including powerful accounts of exclusion, bullying and renewed confidence—and sets out three key reasons why alternative education services must be protected and properly funded.
The authors also consider the implications of recent Education Authority decisions to suspend referrals to externally contracted EOTAS providers, and the potential consequences for children and young people who rely on these vital services.