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School Guidelines on Mental Health

Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 7 March 2013

Thursday, 7 March 2013

Questions (8)

Brendan Smith

Question:

8. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Education and Skills in view of the recent publication of the action plan on bullying and the interdepartmental guidelines for mental health promotion and suicide prevention in schools, his plans to provide funding for specialist training for teachers and principals; and the amount that has been allocated for such training. [11966/13]

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Oral answers (9 contributions)

I have allocated €500,000 to enable implementation of the action plan on bullying, the full detail of which is being worked out, to be progressed this year. This additional expenditure will complement other programmes that focus on assisting teachers and school management in dealing with bullying in primary and post-primary schools.

The guidelines for mental health promotion bring together existing guidance and programmes to ensure a more integrated and holistic policy approach is taken towards student well-being in post-primary schools. The guidelines, which are evidence based, are an essential reference point for teachers and school management in terms of their planning for the implementation of the SPHE curriculum, the whole-school guidance plan and for accessing the NEPS continuum of support framework. Relevant supports for schools are outlined in the document.

The Department's support services have been directed to review and prioritise support for schools with regard to the action plan on bullying and the guidelines.

I thank the Minister for his reply. I welcome the publication of the guidelines for mental health promotion and suicide prevention and the action plan on bullying. These are important initiatives and it is important that schools have guidance on the strategies they need to adopt to ensure children are safe in the school grounds and that their mental health is a core concern. The Minister mentioned €500,000 for the action plan on bullying. Has he allocated any money for supporting the guidelines for mental health promotion and suicide prevention alongside this?

No decision has yet been made on the breakdown of the detailed allocation of the moneys.

These are two important initiatives, but at the same time the Minister has removed €32 million which was specifically dedicated for guidance counsellors. While they did not play the only role in a school, they had a key role in liaising with students with particular difficulties with regard to mental health or bullying. The Minister is absolutely correct that everyone in the school needs to play their role, and it is important we support principals and teachers and provide training for them, but taking these measures at the same time as removing €32 million funding from those specifically trained does not add up or makes sense. The Minister is taking a very wrong approach. I ask the Minister to respond to this and explain how he can match this approach with his aim to try to improve child and adolescent mental health and deal with bullying.

I do not agree with the conclusion reached by the Deputy. Given the state of where we are, and what we now know with regard to the whole school environment and the health required for it, the approach must be to make it everybody's concern in the first instance. The Deputy spoke about the guidelines for mental health promotion, and these suggest three states of intervention, namely, a whole school approach to begin with; then identifying those who might be at risk and need support; and then possibly taking them out of the ambience of the school itself to get detailed professional assistance appropriate to the condition in which they find themselves. This skill may not necessarily rest with the guidance counsellor in the school. This is a more integrated and holistic way of approaching it and it mobilises existing resources in a different way to the situation previously. Having heard the presentation and listened to the Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, and others I am convinced that given the situation we are in it is a better way to go rather than working back to the old system of guidance counsellors.

An holistic approach and ensuring all teachers are clued into what is going on is a good idea. Gorey Community School is the biggest school in Wexford with more than 1,500 pupils.

It is very big.

I coach six of the young fellows who attend the school. The school has a great deal of pressure at present from social problems and social issues. The Minister's hopes to develop a more holistic approach in all schools is good and I agree if every teacher is focused in the right area, and is copped on as to how to deal with these issues, it would definitely be progressive, but it does not change the fact that needs exist now and the cuts are deeply affecting schools. Until the Minister reaches the situation he would like to have, the schools need the support he has taken away from them, which is a cut of approximately 30%.

I recognise the very large size of Gorey Community School and a new VEC school is planned to be built there. It has still to come on-stream as the Deputy knows. There are special pressures in Gorey and I recognise this.

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