Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 26 July 2017
365. Deputy Fiona O'Loughlin asked the Minister for Education and Skills the current and planned investment in mental health counselling at primary level; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36481/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department promotes a comprehensive and whole-school approach in schools to the promotion of well-being and positive mental health focusing on the entire school community, as well as groups and individual young people with identified need. This spans the curriculum in schools, whole-school ethos, quality of teaching, learning and assessment, student support and pastoral care, guidance counselling and the provision of professional development for teachers. It also involves accessing other supports such as educational psychology services. Additionally, schools engage in a wide range of sport and cultural activities which provide an important opportunity for students to experience success and personal growth. The whole staff shares responsibility for general student well-being.
The Well-being in Primary Schools Guidelines for Mental Health Promotion (2015) provides a Framework for schools to present in an integrated way the existing elements of good practice to promote social and emotional learning, and mental health and direct then to new practices as appropriate. They provide clear information for schools and for agencies supporting schools on how to address issues of social emotional learning. The European wide HSE-supported Health Promoting School Process (HSP) is also outlined, and the Well-being Guidelines show how the HSP can be introduced to schools to complement existing good practice. The Guidelines outline how schools support young people through early intervention and prevention, modelled on the NEPS Continuum of Support tiered approach.
The Guidelines build on the significant work already taking place in schools, including through the systematic implementation of the Social, Personal and Health Education (SPHE) curriculum, the whole-school guidance plan, the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) continuum of support model and the HSE, Health Promoting Schools Process. Information is also provided on how to access support from the SPHE Support Service and other external agencies and support services.
My Department’s Action Plan for Education 2017 promotes well-being as one of its key goals. The actions relating to well-being and mental health in the primary school sector include:
- Develop an integrated programme of support for all schools to implement the Well-being Guidelines and an implementation plan for roll-out of this programme to all primary schools.
- Increasing the capacity of NEPS: an enhanced educational psychological service to schools, through the appointment of an additional 10 educational psychologists. The focus of this additional support will be on extending the delivery of training to teachers in DEIS schools in two specific evidence-informed programmes - the Incredible Years Teacher Programme and the Friends programmes - the Friends programme, when delivered by trained teachers, reduces anxiety and promotes coping, resilience and school-connectedness in children and young people in the primary and post-primary schools, while the Incredible Years Teacher programme strengthens the social and emotional competence of primary school children whose teacher has completed the programme.
