Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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310. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the mandatory training that both primary and post-primary teachers must complete with regard to mental health; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35704/17]

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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311. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the voluntary or extracurricular training his Department provides to primary and post-primary teachers with regard to mental health; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35705/17]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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My Department adopts a holistic and integrated approach to supporting the work of schools in promoting positive mental health. The process spans the curriculum in schools, whole school ethos, quality of teaching, learning and assessment, student support and pastoral care and the provision of professional support for teachers. It also involves other supports such as educational psychological services and the interface with other agencies, both nationally and locally.

To support schools, my Department has produced and distributed the Well-Being in Primary Schools: Guidelines for Mental Health Promotion and Suicide Prevention (2015). These guidelines are informed by consultation with key Education and Health partners, and by current research. They assist schools and the school community in (a) supporting and responding to the mental health and well-being needs of our children and (b) in providing a safe and supportive environment for building life skills and resilience and a strong sense of connectedness to school. My Department's National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) is actively assisting schools and school communities in this regard.

All primary and post-primary initial teacher education programmes include the study of psychology of education and sociology of education. All primary initial teacher education programmes include the implementation of the Social, Personal and Health Education (SPHE) curriculum which is taught at all class levels. The SPHE curriculum provides particular opportunities to foster the personal development, wellbeing, and social and emotional health of the individual child.

Professional development services are provided by my Department to support teachers in addressing and dealing with mental health issues. At primary level, continuing professional development (CPD) is provided through:

- NEPS, which provides guidance for schools in managing and responding to critical incidents; and training in the delivery by teachers of programmes, including the Incredible Years programme, which aims to prevent and treat young children's behaviour problems and promote their social, emotional, and academic competence

- The Professional Development Service for Teachers (PDST) provides professional development support to teachers and schools to develop and promote student health and wellbeing, including mental health, in the context of a positive health promoting school environment.

- The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) Support Service, will support teachers in addressing the needs of pupils with special educational needs, including needs which relate to their mental health.

- Supports are also provided through the Association of Teachers' Education Centres in Ireland (ATECI) summer courses, the Irish Primary Principals Network (IPPN), the National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals (NAPD) and the Centre for School Leadership.

At post- primary level, the new Framework for Junior Cycle (2015) places a clear emphasis on overall student health and well-being: The Framework has eight key skills, which are to be embedded in every new Junior Cycle subject and short course, including the key skills of "Managing Myself" and "Staying Well".

The Framework includes an area of learning called Wellbeing, encompassing Social Personal and Health Education (SPHE), Physical Education (PE) and Civic Social and Political Education (CSPE) and to support its introduction in post-primary schools in September coming, a comprehensive programme of CPD has been drawn up by my Department's support services. The supports to be delivered during the 2017/18 school year will include whole school CPD on Wellbeing in Junior Cycle, seminars for teachers of SPHE on Mental Health, Gender and Sexual Orientation and Substance Use and seminars for designated liaison persons in schools on Child Protection, Anti Bullying and a Whole School approach to Mental Health.

It should be noted that CPD for teachers is not compulsory. However, at post-primary level it is intended that all teachers in schools participating in whole school CPD will receive CPD in Wellbeing in 2017/18. It is anticipated that the significant majority of post-primary schools will avail of such CPD.

A key theme of my Department's 2017 Action Plan for Education is the support of wellbeing initiatives to ensure that mental resilience and personal wellbeing are integral parts of the education and training system. Specifically, the Plan commits to the commencement of the roll-out of the Friends for Life programme and the Incredible Years Classroom Management programme to teachers in all DEIS schools. NEPS will deliver both programmes commencing in the autumn and are currently in the process of recruiting an additional 11 psychologist staff to undertake this work.

It is planned that during the coming academic year, some 40 Friends programmes will be organised involving some 1,000 primary and post-primary teachers and 50 Incredible Years programmes will be offered to some 1,000 primary school teachers at the commencement of a three year roll-out of the training.