Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Tuesday, 25 May 2021

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills

School Bullying and the Impact on Mental Health: Discussion (Resumed)

Photo of Fiona O'LoughlinFiona O'Loughlin (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I have a few questions and points for the witnesses. I am really struck by the breadth of wisdom and experience they have brought to the discussion today. Hearing about the very positive work that is happening is helpful. I agree that we need to have a sharing of that excellent work and the ability to bring it to different schools. Ms O'Dwyer mentioned the Incredible Years programme. It is a great programme but it is unfortunate that only DEIS schools are able to participate. There are many children in non-DEIS schools who would really benefit from it. We need to roll out all of these programmes to all schools if we are to benefit all the children who need them.

Mr. Mulconry talked about children not playing as much as they would have done in the past. He is right about that. We need to look at informal methods of education, such as through play and leisure activities. While I realise this is outside the school sphere to a certain extent, it brings it back to the community approach.

I was struck by Mr. Curtis's comments on the issues with language and the fact we talk about anti-bullying policies as opposed to trying to couch things in a more positive light. We should be talking in terms of resilience, positive mental health and developing positive relationships with others. There is a lot to consider and learn in this regard. I really enjoyed the philosophical thoughts behind the engagement we have had today.

I have a few queries for the witnesses. When discussing cyberbullying at previous hearings, and it is something we touched on today, we have spoken about the role an online safety commissioner could play. Do the witnesses have any suggestions on how such a commissioner could be empowered to tackle cyberbullying? We all agree this is an issue.

Ms O'Dwyer spoke about the roadmap of supports to be developed by ETBI. All the witnesses spoke about the difficulties in terms of schools and teachers accessing relevant resources. I agree that supporting professional development for teachers and in whole-school communities is hugely important. The Ombudsman for Children has spoken at the committee about the need for every school not necessarily to have its own counsellor but to have access to a counsellor. That also provides a supporting element for teachers.

At our second-last meeting, several witnesses raised the point that the Department does not gather aggregate data on bullying, including the number of bullying incidents, the types of incidents and the measures taken to address them. Do the witnesses think such data would be helpful?

My final point is more a comment than a question. We have had discussions in the committee on the issue of restorative justice. I consider it an incredible tool. We had a really strong submission from a former principal, Ms Noreen Duggan, on her experience in teaching. She is undertaking further study on the subject. There is a lot in this area that is absolutely key to what we are trying to do and I expect it to form a large part of our report.

I will go to Ms O'Dwyer first to respond to the points I have raised.

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