Professor Paul Downes:

I have had extensive dialogue with a range of different counsellors and groups on this issue. It is clear that they are very enthusiastic about the school-based model. They do not see this as taking from their other work. Many of them work part-time on short-term contracts here and there. I quoted Ms Angie O'Brien, Chair of the Irish Association of Creative Arts Therapists, who stated on the record in a submission that there are enough in the system. One other advantage of the area-based approach for counsellors is that as I said, it can avoid duplication if we can also perhaps get a family dimension in this. We can see there may be similar issues coming up with siblings in different schools. If a team of counsellors with a head of team is in place, it can build that coherence at an area-based and family-based level, which would be an important dimension. The area partnerships and area-based childhood programmes already do this here and there but they are ripe for expansion. They both stated in our submission that they want to expand in this area.