Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 25 November 2020
103. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Education the details of support services available to students, parents and school authorities with regard to mental health challenges; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38995/20]
View answer104. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Education her views on whether support services available to students, parents and school authorities are adequate; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38996/20]
View answer105. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Education her plans to improve the support services available to students, parents and school authorities; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38997/20]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 103 to 105, inclusive, together.
There are a number of support services provided by my Department to all members of the school community to support wellbeing and mental health. Firstly, I will outline the role of the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) of my Department. NEPS provides a comprehensive, school-based psychological service to all primary and post primary schools through the application of psychological theory and practice to support the wellbeing, academic, social and emotional development of all learners. NEPS provides a casework service to schools through the assigned NEPS psychologist. Individual casework service involves a high level of psychologist collaboration with teachers and parents, often also working directly with the child/young person. NEPS may become involved with supporting individual students where the school’s SET team or Student Support Team (in post-primary) feels that the involvement of the psychologist is needed. Psychologists may provide consultation in relation to appropriate therapeutic interventions to be delivered in the school setting and engage in direct work with an individual student as appropriate. This year due to Covid19 some elements of casework service are modified to ensure compliance with public health and your school’s safety measures.
In the event that the need for a more targeted counselling or a specialised intervention is identified by the NEPS psychologist, a referral is made to an outside agency for evaluation and ongoing support. The NEPS psychologist can identify the most appropriate referral pathway and supports school with the onward referral to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Team (CAMHS), HSE Primary Care/Community Psychology teams, or an identified local community based specialist mental health service. Overall responsibility for the provision of child and adolescent mental health services lies within the remit of the Department of Health.
In addition to casework, NEPS psychologists work with teachers to build their capacity. NEPS teams offer training and guidance for teachers in the provision of universal and targeted evidence-informed approaches and early intervention to promote children’s wellbeing, social, emotional and academic development. NEPS psychologists provide a Support and Development service to schools that includes planning meetings, consultation, cluster group meetings and more formal teacher professional learning opportunities which includes teacher professional learning programmes such as the Friends Resilience Programmes and the Incredible Years Social Emotional learning programme. These programmes have been welcomed by schools and their impact positively evaluated. My Department is working to adapt these programmes for online delivery later in the academic year.
NEPS also supports school leaders and teachers to establish and operate student support teams. Student Support Teams are part of the student support system in a school.
At primary level Social, Personal, Health Education (SPHE) is mandatory and it supports the personal development, health and well-being of young people and helps them create and maintain supportive relationships. Since September 2020, the Professional Development Service for Teachers (PDST) Primary Health and Wellbeing team have been providing bespoke (virtual) CPD and support to schools in the following areas; Teaching and Learning in SPHE (including visual arts), Stay Safe Programme, RSE, Anti-bullying (including Internet Safety and Cyber-bullying), Teacher Wellbeing and Restorative Practice. PDST’s Wellbeing support is rooted in the SPHE curriculum.
At post primary level, all students commencing Junior Cycle from September 2017 onwards undertake the area of learning called Wellbeing. Wellbeing crosses the three years of Junior Cycle and builds on substantial work already taking place in schools in support of students’ wellbeing. When planning a Wellbeing Programme, schools can access the NCCA developed short courses in PE, SPHE, and CSPE. Strand 4 of the SPHE short course - My Mental Health, focuses on building positive mental health, examining young people’s experience of mental ill health and learning how to support themselves and others in challenging times. Teachers can access support from the PDST and the Junior Cycle for Teachers (JCT) for these areas of the curriculum. The PDST facilitates a Mental Health 2-Day Seminar each year. Due to the current context, PDST’s Mental Health Seminar has been postponed until 2021. Since September 2020, PDST advisors have facilitated online bespoke in-school support. During PDST’s support engagements, they have supported schools through facilitated dialogue around Junior and Senior Cycle SPHE and RSE.
The Wellbeing Policy Statement and Framework for Practice was published by my Department in July 2018 and sets out the ambition and vision of the Department that the promotion of wellbeing will be at the core of the ethos of every school. The policy describes how schools can best promote wellbeing. The Wellbeing Policy Statement indicates that schools should adopt a whole-school, multi-component, preventative approach to wellbeing promotion that includes both universal and targeted interventions.
Since the policy was published, significant work has taken place to realise the vision set out. A Wellbeing Office has been established in NEPS to support the implementation of the Wellbeing Policy and a Wellbeing Steering Group, oversees the implementation of the Policy. In order to develop the required Continuing Professional Development (CPD) and resources for schools, the Department worked with 30 schools (10 post primary and 20 primary) in an Action Research Project to support the implementation of the Wellbeing Promotion Process. The work was led by the PDST in collaboration with Junior Cycle Teachers (JCT) and NEPS. This findings from this research project will assist the Department in reviewing and planning for the needs of schools and centres for education in relation to wellbeing promotion nationally.
A number of key resources have been made available to schools and further supports will be made available. These include Statements of Effective Practice to guide and standardise the approach to reviewing wellbeing promotion in schools, parent, teacher and student questionnaires and directories of CPD and online support available from the Department, its support services and the HSE in the area of wellbeing
My Department will continue the coordinated implementation of the Department’s Wellbeing Policy over the coming months.
