Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 213: To ask the Minister for Education and Science her plans to introduce a mandatory module on domestic abuse to be included in social, personal and health education programmes at post primary level; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33609/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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Social personal and health education, SPHE, incorporating relationships and sexuality education has been developed at junior cycle level, and this has been made mandatory for all schools with effect from September 2003. In addition, all schools are required to have an agreed school policy and a suitable relationships and sexuality education programme in place for senior cycle pupils. Comprehensive guidelines for (a) junior cycle and (b) senior cycle have also been published and provided to schools by the NCCA to support the RSE aspects of the curriculum. An integrated SPHE programme at senior cycle incorporating RSE is being developed.

The overall aims of the SPHE curricula are: to foster the personal development, health and well-being of students and help them to create supportive relationships and become responsible citizens; to develop a framework of values, attitudes, understanding and skills that will inform their actions and decision making; and to establish and maintain healthy patterns of behaviour.

The SPHE modules at junior cycle in post primary schools deal specifically with belonging and integrating, handling conflict constructively, dealing with peer pressure, influences on decision-making, relationships and sexuality in terms of values, reproductive system, tackling myths about sex and pregnancy, personal safety, substance use and the impact of teenage pregnancy. Two of the SPHE modules relate specifically to relationships and sexuality and personal safety. The aims of these modules include bringing students to an understanding of the physical changes that take place during adolescence and exploring with them procedures for protecting their personal safety along with appropriate responses when their safety is threatened. In third year, an awareness of help agencies is promoted and students' skills for obtaining access to them are developed.

For senior cycle students, all schools are required to have an agreed school policy and a suitable relationships and sexuality education programme in place. The RSE programme at senior cycle deals further with these issues, including pregnancy, contraception, sexually transmitted diseases, sexual harassment, sexual assault, and accepting sexual orientation.

The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, NCCA, is currently developing an SPHE curriculum framework for senior cycle and a draft document has recently gone for consultation to the partners. The draft curriculum framework includes five areas of learning, most of which contribute to the education of young people on aspects of violence, its causes and preventive measures and to the promotion of physical and mental health. The five areas are mental health, gender studies, substance use, relationship and sexuality education, and physical activity and nutrition.

The Department of Education and Science has developed two sets of resource materials that are particularly relevant to this area for use with transition year and senior cycle students as part of an SPHE programme. These are BALANCE — Who cares? and Exploring Masculinities. These resources use a variety of materials and strategies to explore and discuss issues of gender equality. Specific attention is paid to addressing both sexual harassment and domestic violence in both resources. Also included in the Exploring Masculinities resources are materials on bullying and child sexual abuse.

All post-primary schools provide a guidance and counselling service for their students and they receive ex-quota hours from the Department for this provision. Guidance counsellors are qualified to provide counselling support to students who may have suffered abuse and to assist them in accessing appropriate help when needed.