Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Tuesday, 22 November 2022

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills

Mental Health Supports in Schools and Tertiary Education: Discussion (Resumed)

Dr. Niall Muldoon:

Education mental health specialist roles are being created in the teams. This will allow schools to invite people to speak, but who is invited will depend on what each school feels is required. That general professional will engage with the school and check to see what it needs, for example, a talk for the parents, a talk for the children, a workshop or some other type of engagement. It is about working constantly on children's mental health and emotional well-being so that they can educate themselves better. It is also about providing them with as many opportunities as possible. In this way, it is not a job that a teacher has to do. It takes all of the pressure off and the children can begin to trust that individual, the teacher and the principal. Three years later, the school will be doing different things than it did in the first year. It depends on how it is worked on.