Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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674. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the total allocation for the student mental health supports in the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 academic years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51177/21]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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In 2020, a comprehensive package of financial supports from Government for the higher education and further education and training sectors was secured to mitigate the impact of Covid.

This package included funding of €3m to underpin wellbeing and mental health and student services in our higher education institutions (HEIs) which was in addition to the €2m funding that was allocated in Budget 2020 and funding that institutions already provide for these services. Total allocation of funding to the higher education sector in 2020 specifically for mental health supports was €5m. 

The Higher Education Authority (HEA) requested that the HEIs distribute this funding in support of specific student engagement such as the recruitment of additional student counsellors, and implementation of the National Student Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Framework, which launched last year.

Funding allocation in 2021 for mental health supports is €5m, matching the commitment made in 2020.

The mental health funding will be used to:

- recruit additional Student Counsellors

- recruit additional Assistant Psychologists

- recruit Head of Service posts for those HEIs employing more than 2 FTEs

- train HEI staff to enable them to support and refer students to appropriate services

- raise awareness among students of mental health and wellbeing services available, including through student outreach activities;

- support implementation of the National Student Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Framework

- support implementation of the Framework for Consent in HEIs; Safe, Respectful, Supportive and Positive: Ending Sexual Harassment in Irish Higher Education Institutions

Details of the specific allocations to each higher education institution in 2021 were announced by Minister Harris on 11 October and are available at: gov.ie/en/press-release/e297d-financial-and-mental-health-wellbeing-supports-to-students-worth-22-million-announced-by-minister-harris/

Breakdown of the 2020 allocation by institution below: