Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Senator Boyhan for raising this matter.

I understand that the Senator is referring to one of a number of recommendations made by the INTO in a recent submission to the Joint Committee on Education, Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science in respect of the committee's examination of school bullying and its impact on mental health.I echo the Senator's sentiments on the Trojan work the INTO has done on reopening schools in a Covid environment. I acknowledge the work Ms Mary Magner and the INTO do each day to educate children in their formative years. Obviously, any matters regarding bullying that teachers receive have to be taken into account in any anti-bullying action plan we are considering in terms of words, gestures and publications, as the Senator mentioned.

The primary and post-primary schools anti-bullying procedures were published by the Department in September 2003 and are being implemented in 4,000 recognised primary and post-primary schools in the country as well as centres for education which are attended by students under the age of 18 years. These procedures give direction and guidance to schools on preventing and tackling school-based bullying behaviour and to deal with any negative impact within the school of bullying behaviour that occurs elsewhere. In addition, the "Wellbeing Policy Statement and Framework for Practice" was published in 2018 and refreshed in 2019. It sets out the ambition and vision in the Department of Education that the promotion of well-being will be at the core of the ethos of every school and centre for education in Ireland and that all schools will provide evidence-informed approaches and support appropriate to the need to promote the well-being of their students. This statement sets out the evidence base for best practices in the school environment in respect of school well-being promotion, which indicates that schools should adopt a whole-school, multi-component preventive approach to well-being promotion that includes both universal and targeted interventions. All schools are required to embark on a review of their well-being promotion process by 2025. That may help with regard to the Senator's remarks about a review. That should be done by 2025.

It is vital that there is support for teachers and schools in terms of professional development opportunities in the areas of well-being, as well as social, personal and health education and the stay safe and anti-bullying programmes. They have to be available to teachers and school leaders. Most of the supports in this area are provided by the National Educational Psychological Service, NEPS, with which the Senator will be familiar, and the NEPS staff from the Department of Education or by the Professional Development Service for Teachers, PDST, which is the largest teacher education support service funded by the Department. NEPS provides a comprehensive school-based psychological service to all primary and post-primary schools through the application of psychological theory and practice to support the well-being and the academic, social and emotional development of all learners. In addition to this service, it has also developed a range of resources for schools and parents to support the well-being of children and young people in line with the well-being policy statement and framework for practice that I mentioned.

In response to Covid-19, NEPS has developed well-being webinars and well-being tool kits for school staff. These contain information, guidance, tips and advice for schools on how best to support the well-being of all children and young people, including those with special educational needs, following the Covid-19 school closures.