Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 11 February 2014
187. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the mechanisms used by the National Educational Welfare Board and the National Educational Psychological Service to provide support to guidance counselling in schools. [6254/14]
View answer188. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of psychologists employed by the National Educational Psychological Service; the number of vacancies and their job titles in NEPS; the methods used to promote positive mental health among the general student body and provide assistance in supporting pupils with particular social, emotional or behavioural difficulties. [6255/14]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 187 and 188 together.
By way of context I can inform the Deputy that my Department adopts a holistic and integrated approach to supporting the work of schools in promoting positive mental health. This issue spans the curriculum in schools, whole-school ethos, quality of teaching, learning and assessment, student support and pastoral care and the provision of professional development for teachers. It also involves other supports such as educational psychological services and guidance and counselling services, and the interface with other agencies, both nationally and locally. Schools also engage in a wide range of sport and cultural co-curricular activities which provide an important opportunity for students to experience success and personal growth. Social Personal and Health Education (SPHE) is a mandatory part of the curriculum in primary schools and in junior cycle since 2003 and is designed to promote positive mental health. It is supported by comprehensive teacher guidelines and curriculum support services which provide training and advice for schools and a resource directory. The Department has also issued guidelines to schools on the development of whole-school policies in the areas such as anti-bullying, relationship and sexuality education, substance misuse, managing critical incidents, whole-school guidance planning etc. which are also important in promoting positive mental health. The National Educational Psychological Service was established in 1999 to support the personal, social and educational development of all children in Primary and Post-Primary schools through the application of psychological theory and practice, having particular regard for children with special educational needs. NEPS is structured upon eight regional divisions, with 21 local offices each catering for schools in the immediate locale. There are currently 178 psychologists employed within the service with two further basic grade psychologists due to be recruited in the next few months to the NEPS Clondalkin office. NEPS psychologists can support the mental health and well-being of students and teachers at all levels of the school system. The NEPS service provides direct and indirect support to individual students through consultation and casework. The service also provides systems level support to schools which aims to be preventative and developmental and promotes a continuum of support approach for students' with learning, social, emotional or behavioural difficulties. This approach is outlined in publications for primary and post-primary schools - A Continuum of Support Guidelines for Primary Schools (2007) and A Continuum of Support Guidelines for Post-Primary Schools (2010) which include resource packs. The Deputy may be aware that I launched the Well-Being in Post-Primary Schools: Guidelines for Mental Health Promotion and Suicide Prevention in January 2013 which were developed by my Department in conjunction with the Department of Health and the Health Service Executive. The Well-Being Guidelines provide practical guidance to post-primary schools on how they can promote mental health and well-being in an integrated way and they also provide evidence-based advice on how to support young people who may be at risk of suicidal behaviour. The Guidelines have been developed to bring coherence to and build upon the multitude of practices that are already in place in schools to promote well-being. They emphasise the need to use a coordinated whole-school approach in the promotion of positive mental health. This involves building and integrating school self-evaluation processes, implementing the Social, Personal and Health Education (SPHE) curriculum, developing the whole-school guidance plan, adopting the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) continuum of support, and building effective inter-agency relationships.
Support for implementation of the guidelines will be integrated into existing CPD work plans of the DES support services. The Guidelines highlight the fact that school personnel are the best placed professionals to support and work sensitively with students. The NEPS psychologist, can support school staff, in particular guidance counsellors, in the identification of students with mental health difficulties and can advise schools on the development of policies related to student well-being and on issues such as bullying. Copies of the Guidelines have been circulated to schools authorities. Student support is promoted in schools through year head and key tutor systems, home/school links, etc. This is one of the key areas which is evaluated by the Inspectorate as part of a Whole School Evaluation. Psychologists support the student support team and NEPS has produced a booklet in the past month, Student Support Teams in Post-Primary Schools. This provides advice to schools on reviewing or establishing student support teams. NEPS psychologists will be actively engaging with schools in regard to this guidance in the course of the current academic year. An important role for NEPS psychologists is the provision of support and advice to schools in relation to managing critical incidents that affect the school community. Each school in the country has been provided with an information pack on responding to critical incidents. NEPS psychologists have also guided many schools in the development of a Critical Incident Management Plan, which enables and empowers schools to respond effectively to a critical incident. NEPS has implemented the Incredible Years Teacher Classroom Management programme with whole staffs or with groups of primary school teachers. This evidence-based programme provides training for social-emotional interventions for children of primary school age. NEPS is also currently providing teacher support in implementing the Friends for Life programme. This programme uses a cognitive-behavioural approach to managing anxiety and has both primary and post-primary components. NEPS liaises with HSE professionals such as the primary care teams and child and adolescent mental health teams to ensure that pupils with significant mental health difficulties are identified and referred to those teams for support. In addition I had published, along with my colleague, Minister Fitzgerald, an Action Plan on Bullying. This plan sets out twelve actions to help prevent and tackle bullying in primary and second level schools. The National Educational Welfare Board, as part of the newly formed Child and Family agency has no role, per se, in the support of guidance counselling in schools.All publications mentioned are available on the DES website.
