Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 7 July 2022
17. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the supports in place for students to access to mental health supports in further and higher education, including waiting time for appointments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36750/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe mental health and well-being of students is a priority for my Department, especially in light of the COVID-19 pandemic which brought increased stress and anxiety levels for students.
My Department has progressed a number of initiatives, in partnership with the Higher Education Authority and Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), over the last number of years to address the mental health and well-being issues faced by students in higher education.
At a policy level this has included establishing a range of policy frameworks including the national student mental health and suicide prevention framework and the Healthy Campus charter and framework.
My Department allocates funding for mental health supports to the HEA for direct disbursement to the institutions as autonomous bodies. €2 million is provided to address student mental health and well-being in higher education each year. This is allocated by the HEA to HEIs through the recurrent grant.
An additional €3m to underpin student well-being and mental health in higher education institutions was secured for each of the 2020/21 and 2021/22 academic years as part of the funding packages, to mitigate against the impact of COVID-19.
The HEA have advised my Department that although specific information on waiting times for appointments is not available, the additional funding over the past two years has resulted in all higher education institutions reporting a reduction in waiting times, with some institutions being in a position to offer rapid access resources.
This funding has also enabled support services in institutions to use new platforms and communication channels to reach out to students, rather than waiting for students to contact their student mental health services.
In the Further Education and Training area, learners may have access to internal psychological supports from qualified Education and Training Board personnel. Funding for these supports are dispersed under general individual programme and learner support headings. SOLAS also allocates funding for Guidance, Counselling and Psychological Services for Youthreach participants.
My Department, working with the HEA and SOLAS and the tertiary education institutions themselves will continue to work to ensure that there is appropriate access to mental health services for students and learners, including through the Estimates for 2023.
