Ivana Bacik
Question:403. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Education if she plans to introduce supports for school principals experiencing burnout. [47876/21]
View answerTuesday, 5 October 2021
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An Occupational Health Strategy is in place as a supportive resource for individual staff members in recognised primary and post primary schools. The aim of the Occupational Health Strategy is to promote the health and wellbeing of employees in the workplace, with a strong focus on prevention. The Occupational Health Strategy comprises the Employee Assistance Service and the Occupational Health Service.
The Employee Assistance Service (EAS) is provided by Spectrum.Life under the logo of ‘Wellbeing Together: Folláinne Le Chéile’.
The EAS is a self-referral service where employees have access to a dedicated free-phone confidential helpline available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year providing advice on a range of issues such as wellbeing, legal, financial, mediation, management support etc. All points of contact for the service are qualified, accredited and experienced mental health professionals.
Where required, short-term counselling is available to employees and their families (over the age of 18 years and living at home). The EAS also provides advice and support to managers and delivers interventions to help them deal with health and wellbeing issues in the workplace.
A bespoke wellbeing portal and app is available which offers access to podcasts, blogs, live chats and videos on topics around wellbeing and mental health and family life. E-Learning programmes across mental health, sleep and a range of wellbeing topics are also available. In addition, online cognitive behavioural therapy is provided. Spectrum.Life also provides a series of webinars and presentations to promote wellbeing in schools.
More information on the Employee Assistance Service is available at link: www.gov.ie/en/service/23acf5-employee-assistance-service/.
Spectrum.Life recently provided a series of ‘Mental Health Seminars’ specifically for Principals and Deputy Principals Mental Health Seminars covering the topics: ‘Building Resilience’, 'Conflict Resolution’ and ‘Promoting Communication’.
For the month of October, Spectrum.Life is also currently providing a series of ‘School Community Seminars’ for Mental Health week. Details of these seminars are available at link: www.gov.ie/en/service/23acf5-employee-assistance-service/#access-the-eas . On 15 October, a seminar titled ‘Beating Burnout’ is available and school staff may register at link: app.sli.do/event/1uxp9yva.
Work continues on the implementation of the Wellbeing Policy Statement and Framework for Practice which sets out the ambition and vision of my Department that the promotion of wellbeing will be at the core of the ethos of every school in Ireland. Under the policy a range of resources have been developed to support all in the school community.
My Department's National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) has provided advice and resources for the school community i.e. parents, students and school staff, during COVID-19. This information is available under the heading of wellbeing advice and resources for parents, students and school staff during COVID-19.