Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

We are all aware that this initiative will be of enormous benefit and support to our primary schools and their staff who do tremendous work every day. We know there is a growing need in the area of well-being. I am pleased that we have secured additional funding in budget 2024 to ensure the scheme can run longer than was envisaged originally.

Two different schemes will run. Counsellors will be available to schools, as I already outlined, and, in the second strand, education well-being teams and practitioners will be introduced. When we have an opportunity to analyse both schemes , we will learn a great deal about what we need to do in future and what the best approach will be, whether it is one or other strand or a combination of both. It is a significant departure and a landmark for the Department to do this and it is right that we do it.

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