Tom Hayes (Tipperary South, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 430: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the steps she has taken to implement the recommendations in the 2006 mental health policy, A Vision For Change; if she will set out a plan of action in the areas identified in the policy document; and when same will be done. [9131/08]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The Deputy will be aware that the education of children with special educational needs is a key policy priority for the Government. Much has already been achieved in this area in terms of delivering additional teaching and care supports. There have been significant developments in special education since 1998 involving enhanced levels of provision as well as new structural and legislative frameworks for the delivery of services to pupils with special educational needs.

There are now over 8,800 teachers at primary and post-primary schools working directly with children with SEN, including those requiring learning support, compared with fewer than 1,700 in 1998. In addition, significant progress has been made in relation to increasing the number of special needs assistants (SNAs) in our schools who specifically cater for children with care needs. There are currently in excess of 9,800 SNAs in primary, post-primary and special schools supporting pupils with special care needs compared with approximately 300 in 1998.

Additional teaching supports are allocated as necessary by the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) in line with my Department's policy to support children with special educational needs. It must also be acknowledged that, during the necessary period of preparation and planning for the roll-out of the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs (EPSEN) Act 2004, the Department continues to expand capacity and services for students with special educational needs.

As the Deputy will be aware, Primary and Second-Level schools have a responsibility to provide a broad, balanced and appropriate curriculum for all students. Social Personal and Health Education (SPHE) is now part of the curriculum for all pupils in primary schools. It provides specific opportunities to enable the child to understand himself or herself, to develop healthy relationships, and to establish and maintain healthy patterns of behaviour.

SPHE has been compulsory in the junior cycle of second-level schools since September 2003. It provides students with a unique opportunity to develop the skills and competence to learn about themselves and to care for themselves and others and to make informed decisions about their health, personal lives and social development.

Modules at junior cycle deal specifically with belonging and integrating, handling conflict constructively, bullying, dealing with peer pressure, coping with stress, emotional health and well-being, influences on decision-making, and relationships and sexuality education. In third year, an awareness of the range of agencies which can help students in difficulty is promoted, as well as the skills of knowing when and how to seek help. SPHE is designed for implementation in the context of a caring whole-school approach which is supported by the pastoral care structures in schools.

The implementation of the SPHE curriculum by schools is a very important strand of Government policy in addressing a range of social and health issues covered by a wide range of policies/strategies, including the National Drugs Strategy, the National Suicide Prevention Strategy and the report of the National Task Force on Obesity.

Work on the development of a curriculum for SPHE in Senior Cycle is now at an advanced stage and the Department looks forward to receiving the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment's (NCCA) recommendations in the matter. Schools also use Mental Health Matters, a resource pack on mental health for 14 to 18 year olds developed by Mental Health Ireland on an optional basis as a module in the Transition Year Programme, an element of the Leaving Certificate Applied Programme, a component of the SPHE programme or an element of other subjects such as Religion or Home Economics.

All post-primary schools receive ex-quota hours from my Department for the provision of a guidance and counselling service to students. The service is delivered in the majority of schools by guidance counsellors who are qualified to provide counselling support to students.

Schools can also use additional resources provided by my Department under various initiatives to buy in the services of a qualified counsellor/psychotherapist if they consider this necessary to meet students' needs. For example, schools participating in Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools (DEIS), the School Completion Programme and the Guidance Enhancement Initiative (GEI) can, and do, use some of the resources received under these initiatives to buy in counselling services.

My Department also provides funding to the Institute of Guidance Counsellors (IGC) for a programme of professional supervision for its members. In its first year, 75% of guidance counsellors participated in this programme which is operated through education centres on a national basis. Approximately 60 qualified counsellors provide support and advice on a range of counselling and mental health issues to the guidance counsellors who are participating in the programme. In addition, my Department provides funding to each of the sixteen branches of the Institute of Guidance Counsellors to support the provision of continuous professional development for the members of each branch.

Through the Education Equality Initiative the Department has funded Schizophrenia Ireland to design and develop training materials for educators and students who self-experience mental illness; to implement awareness training programmes for staff in further education colleges; to set up support structures for people with self experience who aspire to attend Further Education courses and to research good practice in Ireland and abroad. Third Level Learning support services provided to students with mental health difficulties include one-to-one specialist tuition and subject specific tuition. One-to-one specialist tuition provides students with organisation, communication and learning skills to cope with the demands of social, personal and academic integration into Higher Education. Additional subject specific tuition may be provided to compensate for lectures missed due to absences, hospital appointments, effects of medication etc.

I assure the Deputy that further improvements in supports for young people are a priority and that recommendations in 'A Vision for Change' are being considered in that context.