Results 3,561-3,580 of 6,627 for speaker:Rose Conway-Walsh

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Mental Health Supports in Schools and Tertiary Education: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Nov 2022)

Rose Conway-Walsh: -----from people who may have traditionally entered healthcare work. Did the NHS face the same problems we do? Does it not have suitably qualified personnel to implement the model and is the EMHP model the answer? I might ask Professor Downes if the model would work here.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Mental Health Supports in Schools and Tertiary Education: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Nov 2022)

Rose Conway-Walsh: That seems a sensible approach. I have some related questions for Professor Downes and Dr. O'Reilly. Could that system work here? What role would further and higher education play in ensuring we develop that workforce?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Mental Health Supports in Schools and Tertiary Education: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Nov 2022)

Rose Conway-Walsh: Is the professor talking about the multidisciplinary teams in Ireland?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Mental Health Supports in Schools and Tertiary Education: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Nov 2022)

Rose Conway-Walsh: We do not have them here.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Mental Health Supports in Schools and Tertiary Education: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Nov 2022)

Rose Conway-Walsh: This is an interesting topic to tease out. Why do we have such long waiting lists for CAMHS? What we hear from schools it that when children are referred to services, there is a waiting list for them to be seen and the requirement for those children to be seen regularly and consistently is not met. Will the professor respond to the point around how long children have to wait? They also...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Mental Health Supports in Schools and Tertiary Education: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Nov 2022)

Rose Conway-Walsh: Does Professor Downes mean that we need to tweak the system that is already in place and which is failing so many children today? We would all have to agree that many young children are being failed in terms of intervention and prevention at school level.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Mental Health Supports in Schools and Tertiary Education: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Nov 2022)

Rose Conway-Walsh: No, I think we are all clear on that. Getting interventions at an early stage is the key to this, even in terms of resource allocation. We do not then have to have the other interventions as we go along. Organisations such as Jigsaw and Mindspace Mayo certainly serve a purpose in that regard. In terms of being able to really meet the need that is there, however, is Professor Downes saying...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Mental Health Supports in Schools and Tertiary Education: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Nov 2022)

Rose Conway-Walsh: I want to tease that out. The counsellors would actually be in the schools.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Mental Health Supports in Schools and Tertiary Education: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Nov 2022)

Rose Conway-Walsh: That would see each primary school having a counsellor attached to it.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Mental Health Supports in Schools and Tertiary Education: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Nov 2022)

Rose Conway-Walsh: Have costings been done on that?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Mental Health Supports in Schools and Tertiary Education: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Nov 2022)

Rose Conway-Walsh: When Professor Downes says a national pilot, if we had the situation then where there was a counsellor for every two schools, how much would that cost?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Mental Health Supports in Schools and Tertiary Education: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Nov 2022)

Rose Conway-Walsh: I completely think that it is the right way to go. What workforce planning must we do at this point? We do not have enough counsellors to meet the existing need. Have we quantified the number of counsellors we would need anywhere? What would we need to do right at this point to have, say, an intake of fully-trained counsellors next September?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Mental Health Supports in Schools and Tertiary Education: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Nov 2022)

Rose Conway-Walsh: We have enough counsellors as it is at the moment. That is interesting. Professor Downes is saying we haves a sufficient number of counsellors.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Mental Health Supports in Schools and Tertiary Education: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Nov 2022)

Rose Conway-Walsh: I thank Professor Downes for that; I understand. That would contradict the fact that if somebody looks for a counselling service tomorrow in County Mayo, it may take months for that person to get that service. The fact that we have enough counsellors would almost contradict that. I am only trying to join the dots.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Mental Health Supports in Schools and Tertiary Education: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Nov 2022)

Rose Conway-Walsh: Can I suggest that we take up the invitation, when our schedule allows, to go to Ballyfermot and look at the model there? I would be interested in that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Mental Health Supports in Schools and Tertiary Education: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Nov 2022)

Rose Conway-Walsh: I thank the witnesses for their presentations. My first question is for the IUA. In her opening statement Professor Dooley said that students from less well-off backgrounds are more likely to suffer from mental health issues and that financial pressure is a leading contributing factor to mental health issues. We all know that rent is now one of the biggest barriers to third level...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Mental Health Supports in Schools and Tertiary Education: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Nov 2022)

Rose Conway-Walsh: I hear about people dropping out. This is with regard to apprenticeships also. What does it say to people if they are forced to drop out because of their financial circumstances and having to commute due to not having accommodation? We are telling the students they have failed at this. How are we picking up and looking after these students and young people? They have not failed....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Mental Health Supports in Schools and Tertiary Education: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Nov 2022)

Rose Conway-Walsh: Yes, I agree. Sometimes the figures are played about with because we have the student assistance fund that would have been increased by a certain amount, which it has, but not to the extent that is presented and the expectation is there for students. There are also students at college now from families who never thought they would have to access a student assistance fund. We have a smaller...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Mental Health Supports in Schools and Tertiary Education: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Nov 2022)

Rose Conway-Walsh: For sure. Thank you.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Mental Health Supports in Schools and Tertiary Education: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Nov 2022)

Rose Conway-Walsh: The IUA highlighted how international students are likely to experience particular mental health difficulties. What would be the average percentage of international students in publicly funded universities and colleges? That question is for Professor Dooley. What would be the percentage be of international students in private colleges? That one is for Ms O'Sullivan.