Mary Seery Kearney (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCathaoirleach. I thank the Minister of State and while I appreciate this is not his Department's area, my experience of him is that he always goes back and advocates very strongly on my behalf and that he fulfils his word and commitment to Members. I really appreciate it and am delighted to see him here this morning.

In the aftermath of Covid, the Minister, Deputy Foley, and the Department of Education identified correctly that the mental health and well-being of children had deteriorated across the State. The best way forward was to put in place well-being and mental health supports in schools throughout the country. I thought that was brilliant, that it was the right place for it and that having councillors available within the school would be a fantastic way forward. Then one would have a position whereby a problem in a child's life does not blow up into a crisis because direct intervention goes on there and then.

It was my understanding that in a number of budgets, we provided the funding for that. There have been pilot schemes and I know they are rolled out in a number of counties and, I understand, in Dublin 7 and in Dublin 11. The piece I cannot understand is that we have DEIS schools where we provide hot food because we recognise that those children, more than anybody else, need to be supported and assured that they can focus on their education and their personal development. Yet, we have a whole plethora of those schools who do not have any of these well-being and mental health supports.

While there is the National Educational Psychological Service, NEPS, it is at a higher level and not every child needs an educational psychologist. There are children who just need somebody to chat to if they have something going on at home. They need something additional to deal with the stress. I see it with my own daughter if we are running late in traffic the stress she encounters is something else. Children perceive stress at very different levels to us as adults. The little things, such as having someone to talk to, are really important and yet this has not been rolled out.

I note that in April this year, a tender was put out for a programme to be developed and provided but that sounds like an awfully long way off. That is not something that will start in September. While I was out canvassing, I came across a most wonderful woman in Drimnagh who received training, is professionally qualified and would be a fantastic play therapist. When she went to the local school in Drimnagh, she was told that while the school was aware of what the Minister had said, the reality on the ground was there was no funding to engage her.

I seek an explanation and a timeline on that. When are children going to get these supports? Another one of my campaigns, as the Minister of State knows, is that we enforce the digital age of consent in respect of children on smartphones. Children literally are being left to their own devices, when one reads the CyberSafe Ireland statistics. What happens if children see something online and they cannot say it to their parents? They are in need of those supports.

At the moment, I am dealing with a number of cases of racial bullying that are just horrific and I am supporting those families. That child goes to a school where there are no supports. They are relying on teachers who are already quite challenged in their jobs and already trying to be everything to a child as well as giving them a great education. I feel we need an update and maybe we need a campaign arising from that to hurry this up. I am looking forward to what the Minister of State is going to say.