Mental Health Services

Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 1 July 2021

Thursday, 1 July 2021

Questions (36, 43)

Denis Naughten

Question:

36. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Education the policy on mental health support services in primary education; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35171/21]

Denis Naughten

Question:

43. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Education the policy on mental health support services in post-primary education; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35170/21]

Written answers

Minister for Education

I propose to take Questions Nos. 36 and 43 together.

The Department’s approach to supporting wellbeing and mental health is set out in its Wellbeing Policy Statement and Framework for Practice first published in 2018 and refreshed in 2019. The approach proposed is a whole school and preventative approach which has multiple components that include providing children and young people with opportunities to:

- build core social and emotional skills and competencies

- experience supportive relationships within the school setting

- be part of a school environment and culture that feels both physically and psychologically safe, in which they feel a sense of belonging and connectedness, where their voice is heard, and they feel supported

Schools are encouraged to use a reflective, school self-evaluation approach to identify and prioritise the needs of its own school community in relation to the promotion of wellbeing and mental health, and to respond to meeting those needs.

This approach to supporting wellbeing has been found internationally to produce a wide range of educational and social benefits for individual children and young people, including increased inclusion, greater social cohesion, increased social capital and improvements in mental health.

Embedded in the whole-school approach is the recognition that members of the school community may have different needs at different times and that a continuum of support in relation to wellbeing should be made available.

A broad range of supports, resources and professional learning opportunities are being provided to support schools to promote and support wellbeing and resilience by the Department’s support services. The services support schools to provide strong universal support at the level of whole school and classroom, more targeted support for some children and young people who may be at risk, and more individualised support for those with greatest need. Support is provided to primary and post-primary school staff through the following services and supports:

- The National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS)

- Guidance Counselling service/provision

- National Council for Special Education (NCSE)

- Professional Development Service for Teachers (PDST) Wellbeing Team

- Junior Cycle for Teachers (JCT) Support Service

- Education Support Centres Ireland (ESCI)

My Department’s National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) provides a school-based, consultative, psychological service in two ways – through the provision of an individual casework service for students and a support and development service for school staff.

The NEPS casework service involves the provision of a psychological service for a student, with the psychologist working with the student, teachers and parents, and other professionals if appropriate, to identify need and plan for intervention and review to support the student in school. This service can take place over an extended period of time with NEPS psychologists. This model does not operate on a waiting list basis, and extends to approximately 8000 students per annum.

The NEPS Support and Development service, reaching an estimated 25,000 teachers annually, is an applied psychological service for school staff to help build their capability to respond to the wellbeing, academic, social and emotional needs of all students, and particularly those who are experiencing barriers to their wellbeing, learning, inclusion and participation.

This model of service allows psychologists to give early attention to urgent cases and also to help many more children indirectly than could be seen individually. It also ensures that children are not referred unnecessarily for psychological intervention.

The capacity of NEPS has increased significantly from its 2016 allocation of 173 whole-time equivalent psychologists. The capacity of NEPS was increased recently as part of a package of measures to support the reopening of our schools when the provision of an additional seventeen psychologist posts to NEPS was announced bringing overall sanctioned numbers to 221 whole-time equivalent psychologist posts. This represents by far the highest number of psychologists sanctioned for NEPS since its inception in 2000. The capacity of NEPS will be kept under review and I hope to be in a position to increase this capacity in future years.

At post primary level, a Student Support Team is a student-focused mechanism put in place by a school in order to co-ordinate the support available for students in the school and to facilitate links to the community and other non-school support services. NEPS provides support to post primary schools in the setting up or review of Student Support Teams.

Also at post primary level, counselling is a key part of the role of the Guidance Counsellor, offered on an individual or group basis as part of a developmental learning process, at moments of personal crisis but also at key transition points. Guidance allocations for all schools were increased in the 2020/21 school year. The Guidance Counsellor also identifies and supports the referral of students to external counselling agencies and professionals, as required. Each post primary school currently receives an allocation in respect of guidance provision, calculated by reference to the approved enrolment. The total number of guidance counsellor posts in the school year 2020/21 is 852.

Separately, the Department of Health has responsibility for the provision of counselling services in Ireland, and through HSE Primary Care Psychology and Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) provides clinical support to children and young people with mental health needs. In addition, the HSE and its funded providers, provide e-mental health services that offer online text and telephone supports to people seeking mental health information and advice. These include services provided by the Samaritans, Pieta House, MyMind, Turn2Me, Aware, Crisis Text Ireland, Shine, BeLongTo, LGBT Ireland, Jigsaw, spunout, Bodywhys and Childline.

My Department – through NEPS, Student Support Teams, Guidance Counsellors and other services - will continue to signpost schools and students to the HSE/HSE-funded e-mental health services.

My Department has built strong links with the Department of Health and both Departments are exploring ways to improve supports for young people, including around increased awareness, promoting help-seeking behaviour and sign-posting to the wide range of available services. We will continue to collectively explore ways of improving supports for children and young people.