Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

189. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will consider increasing hours and or posts supported in schools for guidance counselling in view of the increased pressures on students as a result of Covid-19; and if supports will be particularly focused on children that may be at a disadvantage. [19396/20]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Measures announced by my Department as part of Budgets 2016, 2017 and 2018 mean that 500 of the 600 guidance posts that were withdrawn in Budget 2012 were restored to schools from September 2018.

As part of the COVID-19 operational supports to schools for the 2020/21 school year, approximately 120 posts will be provided for guidance to support student wellbeing. These posts will bring guidance provision in schools back to the level last seen before the financial crisis in 2012.

This allocation is provided separately and transparently on each school's staffing schedule.  These posts have been ring-fenced so they can only be used for guidance activities and to meet the guidance needs of the school. 

It is important to note that in previous changes to guidance counselling allocations in 2012, DEIS schools were effectively sheltered from these changes as a result of a more favourable staffing schedule.

The Department has committed considerable resources towards the restoration of guidance counselling hours to post-primary schools, to the provision of CPD for guidance counsellors and to the provision of a national guidance counselling supervision service for post-primary guidance counsellors.

The wellbeing and mental health of our school communities is a fundamental element of the Department’s overall plan to ensure a successful return to school as we continue to manage the Covid-19 pandemic.  It is crucial that we support the wellbeing of our students and school management and staff in order to support successful re-engagement with teaching and learning. 

Guidance will issue to schools on logistical, curricular arrangements and wellbeing supports to be put in place to facilitate the phased re-opening of schools. All decisions taken in relation to re-opening schools are based on public health advice.

The National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) of my Department is leading on supporting the wellbeing of schools communities. The response to support the wellbeing of all within school communities on the return to school requires a structured, psychosocial response which is compassionate and largely preventative and proactive.  This requires a whole-school team approach to planning in order to ensure that staff, students and parents feel safe and secure.  This response will be aligned with the HSE guidance on such responses, and based on the five key principles of promoting a sense of safety, calm, connectedness, self- and community-efficacy and hope.  My Department will work in partnership with the Department of Health and the Department of Children and Youth Affairs to ensure that the wellbeing needs of all members of the school community are met.

Schools can utilise their existing school structures, such as the Student Support Team and internal referral pathways, to identify students who remain more vulnerable and then seek to provide these students with additional support, internally or externally by referral on to the HSE or other appropriate support services.

There may be additional challenges for some students, especially for younger students entering post-primary for the first time and for those entering sixth year.  When planning for both universal and more targeted support, schools may consider particular groups, such as incoming first and sixth year students as groups who require specific interventions to successfully manage these transitions or cope with the return to school. By careful deployment of school resources, including guidance counselling, these students can be effectively supported as part of the overall resumption of schooling plans. The Department has published a number of documents regarding how to support student wellbeing.

The guidance counsellor is not expected to be able to provide individual support to every vulnerable student in their school. More than ever the Continuum of Support Model should be applied in schools, so students most in need of additional targeted support are identified and resources, such as guidance counselling, are directed and distributed appropriately. This should be done in consultation with school management and the Student Support Team.

Other supports will be provided to Guidance Counsellors in schools including a series of on-line Continuing Professional Development webinars from the National Centre for Guidance in Education (NCGE) covering topics identified by Guidance Counsellors such as: adjusting the Guidance Plan, further skills training for online guidance counselling, Junior Cycle Guidance lesson planning, decision making, wellbeing issues and in particular how guidance counsellors can manage their own self-care.