Mr. John Curtis:

I thank the committee for the invitation to participate in the discussion on this most important of topics. My opening statement will be a summation of a more comprehensive submission that we have made to the committee.

No one in this room needs any lecture on the reality that there exist high levels of damage to young people's mental health due to the isolating and anxiety-inducing effects of the Covid-19 lockdowns and school closures, the impact of technologies on teenagers in particular, the relentless pace of change, and the shortage of community-based services and supports. Recent reports of dramatic increases in cases of online bullying, the vast majority of which occur outside school settings, demand urgent action. The social and emotional effects of these anxieties are reflected back into our schools through the attitudes and behaviours of students. It must be accepted by policymakers that seeking to site both the problem and the solution solely at the door of our schools and colleges represents neither a realistic nor an honest solution to this challenge.

While the challenges and solutions are multifaceted, I wish in this brief statement to argue that one of the most effective and, indeed, cost-effective measures the State can provide is to bring our guidance counselling services up to a level where appropriate supports can be given exactly where and when our young people - 1 million of them - are to be found, that is, in our nation's schools. The JMB's 2023 pre-budget submission is clear about the challenges facing our schools in terms of their guidance counselling provision. The recent chief inspector's report makes repeated reference to the need for system-level supports to enhance provision for guidance and counselling in our schools, saying: "Continued enhancement of system supports will be required in the area of Guidance and Counselling to address challenges related to recruitment, curriculum and increasing levels of anxiety among students". This call for enhancement of the service predates the announcements regarding senior cycle and the arrival of students from Ukraine. As these emerging demands collide with the already inadequate allocation of hours for guidance counselling, which are not yet fully restored from before the financial crash cuts of over a decade ago, the capacity of schools to cope will be unsustainable and cases relating to young people in crisis will spill over into the already overwhelmed CAMHS.

Speaking of such services, one of the greatest challenges facing school management in making provision for students' mental health support is the discontinuity across the health and education systems in terms of access, availability, tracking and interagency communication. While each service - NEPS, CAMHS, social workers, the HSE and the Garda - is working intensively to provide relevant and timely services, they all suffer not only from capacity challenges and long waiting lists, but also a lack of coherent provision from a school's perspective. In this respect, the JMB recommends that the Government initiate a review of interagency co-operation, connectivity and communication with a view to supporting schools in their referrals of students in need of mental health supports and interventions.

At school and community service levels, the State must begin to recognise the need to invest in fit-for-purpose interventions to support young people professionally with psychological and psychiatric conditions, those facing LGBT-related mental health challenges, victims of cyberbullying, victims of racism and those engaged in drug abuse, and with tackling the damaging effects of economic disadvantage and social exclusion.

School principals need to be freed from excessive workloads so that they can properly attend to student well-being. In this respect, the most effective solution lies in the allocation of additional deputy principals, DPs, across schools of all sizes and sectors. I refer members to the JMB pre-budget submission where the case for additional DP allocation is set out.

I thank the committee for its attention to this issue and we look forward to the report and recommendations that will emerge from this important conversation.