Martin Browne (Tipperary, Sinn Fein)
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86. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his views on the impacts that the Covid-19 restrictions have had on the mental health of third level students; the measures he has taken to ease their introduction to third-level in the current environment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43336/20]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The support and wellbeing of our students is a priority for my Department, particularly in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the increased stress and pressure resulting from it.

In recent weeks, I launched a new National Framework to address the issues of student mental health and suicide prevention. This Framework is Ireland’s first ever national approach to address student mental health and suicide prevention. The Framework has been developed as part of the Higher Education Authority’s commitment to play its part in delivering on the Department of Health’s Connecting for Life – Ireland’s National Strategy to Reduce Suicide 2015-2020.

The Framework was developed in collaboration with students, mental health and suicide prevention specialists, academics, researchers and institutional staff. The Framework delivers on a commitment to develop national guidelines for the higher education institutions (HEIs) in relation to suicide risk and critical incident response, thereby helping to address any gaps which might exist in the prevention of suicide in higher education. The Framework additionally recognises the many challenges students face, and sets out ways in which institutions can support and respond through working proactively to maximise mental health and wellbeing.

Earlier this year, I also secured a comprehensive package of financial support in the amount of €168m for the Higher Education and Further Education and Training sector to mitigate against the direct financial impact of COVID-19 on our Universities, institutions, colleges and students in 2020. This package includes additional funding of €3m to underpin wellbeing and mental health and student services in our higher education institutions (HEIs), and is in addition to the €2m that was allocated in Budget 2020. This overall funding of €5m comes at a time of great urgency in relation to student support and re-opening of our higher education institutions. This funding will enable institutions to enhance their student facing services, such as by employing additional student Counsellors, Assistant Psychologists etc.

The HEA wrote to all HEIs setting each institutions funding allocation towards student support and mental health and wellbeing and the conditions attaching to the funding, including a request that the HEIs distribute it in support of specific student facing areas such as the recruitment of additional Student Counsellors, and implementation of the National Student Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Framework.

Following on from publication of the Framework, the HEA contacted institutions to progress its implementation and to follow up on the earlier funding allocations. Many institutions are already in process of increasing their counselling service capacity; there are a number of recruitments of additional counsellors and assistant psychologists live at the moment, we're expecting many more to follow suit over the next few weeks. This increased capacity/resourcing will allow for development of further active outreach to students.

The HEA has outlined that the funding allocation for counselling services specifically is data driven, taking cognisance of research reports such as the USI National Report on Students and Covid-19, the My World 2 report, the AHEAD “Learning from Home” report, and also reflecting USI’s prioritisation of increasing capacity of counselling services and the finally promoting the implementation of the National Student Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Framework.

In that way, the funding is intended to have a direct and immediate impact for students in this academic year, and the HEA will be requesting a further more detailed report at the end of the academic year which should clearly indicate the metrics used by institutions to measure impact and demonstrate outcomes including in respect of the capacity of counselling services offered by third-level institutions.

The increased capacity/resourcing of counselling in this current year will allow for development of active outreach to students and deliver more support and training to campus staff to identify, support and refer students in difficulty. This whole of campus approach to student support is a central principle in the National Framework for Student Mental Health and Suicide Prevention. While specific services such as counselling provide the specialist response to mental health difficulties, all staff should be aware of how to engage and respond supportively to a student in distress, and how to make effective referrals to the services, and we will be working towards achieving that in line with the framework.

In October, I also announced the new keyword partnership with 50808. This is a Free 24/7 anonymous text support service. Students text their institution keyword to 50808 to begin a text conversation e.g. Text DKIT to 50808 for Dundalk IT students, Text TCD to 50808. Although this partnership with student counselling services was in train before the publication of USI National Report on Students and Covid-19, the 50808 partnership responds directly to the almost 27% of students in this report who said they would like to use a text service provided by their college service and 26% who said they would use a text service provided through an external service. 50808 volunteers will also signpost student texters to their campus and local community supports, based on their location, in instances that where further support is required.

Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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87. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the way in which he plans to support students enrolled in third level institutions to get back to college campuses in 2021 after Covid-19; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41644/20]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Continuity for the most part of further and higher education and research has been maintained throughout the pandemic. The diversity and flexibility of higher education institutions has been key in driving responsive and adaptable approaches to the challenges created by the pandemic, ensuring that the sector has remained open and that continuity of high quality provision has been achieved.

For the remainder of the current academic term, and in line with the available public health advice, on campus activity is prioritised for essential learning and activities including mandatory skills, practical, mandatory training and assessment. Further and higher education institutions should continue to deliver the majority of their classes online.

Though dialogue is ongoing, there is a strong shared perspective on planning and communicating the arrangements for the remainder of the academic year 2020/21. I have agreed with the sector that, with the prospect of alleviation of restrictions to come, there will be scope, on a phased and discretionary basis, to incrementally expand onsite provision.

Since the onset of Covid-19 in March, my Department has collaborated with key stakeholders from the sector in order to establish a number of lines of action to support the safe return of third level students to on-site campus activity. These actions include the establishment of a structure to facilitate engagement and collaboration with sectoral stakeholders across the further and higher education sector, a series of financial supports aimed at mitigating the financial impacts of Covid-19 and a number of initiatives aimed at protecting and supporting the wellbeing of third level students.

These actions highlight my continued commitment and that of the Government to support students and learners in the further and higher education sector in their return to on campus activity.