Fiona O'Loughlin (Kildare South, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I will make a few points and pose a few questions before I hand back to the Minister.

Distinguishing between mental illness and mental health is important. There are students within the system who need access to NEPS and CAMHS and, all too often, they are being let down by the system and it is something that we have explored within this committee and the Committee on Future of Mental Health Care. That is a separate plea in itself.

In this report, we chose to focus mainly on the promotion of positive mental health among the school community, including teachers and other staff, as well as students. That must be to the benefit of community at large, there is no doubt about that.

The committee made 18 recommendations. There is reference in the Minister's statement to the fact that the well-being policy statement and framework for practice has incorporated some of the key recommendations. Reading through it this morning, there is no reference to the committee whatsoever, either in the body of the document or the reference points on it. As was mentioned, the committee put a lot of work into this. The recommendations were made a year ago and it is disappointing not to see it referenced. As the Minister will appreciate, I had a short time to go through the report, so I am open to correction on that point, but I cannot see it.

I accept the positive statements that have been made and acknowledge that the committee's first recommendation has been taken up about having a whole-school approach. That is hugely important. The Minister stated that schools are encouraged to provide supports. That is welcome, but there are pressures on principals and staff in schools that must be acknowledged, including delivery of subjects, trying to promote a positive approach to life, discipline and all of the bureaucracy. The schools want the support of the committee and the Department. The Department has a key role in providing those supports.

One of the committee's key recommendations was that each school needed a strategy and that should be written down. The committee feels that is hugely important and is a recommendation that needs to be made.

Another of the committee's recommendations was for the Minister for Education and Skills to meet with the Minister of State with special responsibility for mental health and older people. I do not know whether that happened when Deputy Bruton was the Minister for Education and Skills. I ask that the new Minister might consider, in the future, having a collaborative approach with the Minister of State with special responsibility for mental health and older people and the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs because the interaction with Tusla is hugely important. If needs be, I am sure it would be possible for the chairpersons of the respective committees to come together and have an interactive collaboration.

I would appreciate, in either a further engagement or a written document, that the committee would see reference to each of its 18 recommendations. They are specific and we need more specifics in the report that we have received. Deputy Naughton mentioned the recommendation that the committee made about the present emphasis on academic achievement. We do not want to take away from our young people needing to excel in academics, but is is important to recognise non-academic achievements. Peter Hussey, who was one of the stakeholders at a previous engagement, spoke about interactive youth and community theatre and how interaction can support resilience within young people. The committee felt that was an incredibly strong point and very well put.

The establishment of an expert group to investigate the appropriateness, feasibility and best practice approach was a recommendation the committee made and would like to see implemented, to have timelines for that and the introduction of the school-based counselling.

The Minister referenced the three-year plan and that the work would be supported by a comprehensive, national professional development programme which is currently being developed and trialled. The committee would like to have more information about that and engagement with those who were involved. If a pilot scheme has been done, it would be useful for the committee to engage with that before there is a full national roll-out in 2019. It is welcome, and the committee appreciates it.

We can all be well-meaning in our intentions but having evaluation of implementation is important. We would need to see that.

I will go back to the Minister now and, as I say, we are conscious that he is only in this role 48 hours and we do not expect him to have all the answers. Please feel free to come back to the committee afterwards on some of the issues we have raised and we will ensure that all of the members receive that.