Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I can inform the Deputy that a well-being policy statement is currently being drafted which provides further advice and clarity to schools and centres for education in regard to the implementation of the primary and post-primary well-being guidelines and the junior cycle well-being guidelines of 2017. The well-being policy statement will set out the Department's ambition and vision that by 2023, the promotion of well-being, including mental health promotion, will be at the core of every school's ethos and that all schools in Ireland will be actively engaged in an ongoing, dynamic process of well-being promotion. Through this process, schools will understand, evaluate and reflect on their capacity to provide for key success factors that lead to optimal promotion of well-being and mental health promotion in their own school setting. They will identify priority areas for improvement and will identify and avail of appropriate continuous professional development, support and resources, either provided by the Department of Education and Skills support services, or by external support providers, to achieve their goals.

A well-being practice framework to support schools in the implementation of the policy is also in development. This framework will provide practical support and information in an easily navigable format. It will be made available to support schools and centres for education to engage in a coherent and meaningful well-being promotion process. The well-being practice framework will complement and support the existing implementation of relevant curricula and policy and in particular the well-being in post-primary and primary schools and the junior cycle well-being guidelines at post-primary level. The well-being practice framework will be published as a draft document and will be further developed following engagement through consultation with partners in education and trial use in schools and centres for education.

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