Ms Maureen Murray:

I thank the Chair and committee members for this opportunity to contribute to the committee's important work in the area of mental health supports in education settings. By way of brief introduction, Jigsaw is Ireland’s primary youth mental health charity. It is supported by the HSE mental health and wellbeing and other funders. Jigsaw has, for over 16 years, established a track record in achieving better mental health outcomes for young people by providing a range of primary care therapeutic services for those aged between 12 and 25 years. We have previously made submissions and participated in committee deliberations.

Our submissions and participation have focused on mental health supports in higher education. We will focus today specifically on mental health in post-primary and further education and training settings. There is a growing body of evidence that implementing whole-school interventions has a positive impact on student well-being and mental health and has been shown to reduce mental health difficulties; improve social skills and social and emotional well-being; and improve learning in young people.

The My World Survey 2 research published by Jigsaw in association with the School of Psychology, UCD, in 2019 shows that there has been a significant increase in the levels of anxiety and depression among adolescents in Ireland over the past decade. At Jigsaw, we have experienced more and more young people seeking our services across the country and online. The most common concerns among young people aged between 12 and 17 attending our brief intervention services were anxiety, at 65%; low mood, at 45%; and sleep changes, at 34%.

We acknowledge the work of the Department of Education and other key stakeholders in supporting the well-being agenda in post-primary schools, particularly the role of the National Educational Psychological Service, NEPS, and others in implementing the well-being policy and framework for practice. Jigsaw has a significant contribution to make in supporting the mental health and well-being of the whole school community through our One Good School initiative. One Good School, which is endorsed by the National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals, NAPD, and the second-level students' union, ISSU, is a whole-school initiative which supports the mental health and well-being of young people and those around them, developing a shared responsibility across the whole school community. The programme is funded through significant fundraising and is currently being implemented in 147 post-primary schools in Ireland.

We have developed infrastructure to deliver a range of supports to schools at local, regional and national level, which supports the schools to promote and support student mental health. Jigsaw also launched a new online schools hub in March 2021, which provides a range of resources, materials and supports to teachers and school staff across the 26 counties which enables them to deliver meaningful well-being lessons in the classroom at both junior certificate and senior cycle. Jigsaw recently established a specific team to focus on supporting mental health and well-being in further education and training and higher education settings. We have a particular interest in Youthreach and further education and training; our detailed submission points to the significant mental health difficulties experienced by young people in these settings. Our One Good School programme has the capacity to provide all schools in Ireland with a universal, whole-school structure for supporting the mental health of students, teachers, parents and school leadership. However, the expansion of the programme requires significant mainstream funding, which should be supported by the Department of Education. Additionally, it is crucial that a range of targeted mental health support services are provided to effectively meet the needs of students who may be considered more at risk.

We recommend that student voices and engagement are central to and integrated into all collaboration, planning, development and delivery of health supports. We also recommend that specific funding be allocated to the development of comprehensive mental health promotion at further education and training and Youthreach settings. We all need to work collaboratively to provide a more comprehensive and co-ordinated approach to mental health and supports to students across all education settings in order to avoid duplication and ensure equitable access to an integrated mental health system which meets the needs of all. State investment is now required.

The students of today are our future professionals, parents, politicians and "One Good" adults, who, in turn, can support the mental health of future generations. I thank the committee for this opportunity to speak. I look forward to members' questions.