Written answers

Tuesday, 1 February 2022

Department of Education and Skills

Special Educational Needs

Photo of Claire KerraneClaire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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503. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the funding for play therapy and counselling that is available to schools in counties Roscommon and Galway; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5053/22]

Photo of Norma FoleyNorma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The provision of therapeutic supports including play therapy and counselling lies within the remit of the Department of Health, and the HSE specifically. While the Department of Health has responsibility for these services in Ireland, my Department has an important role to support the wellbeing and positive mental health of all our young people. My Department’s approach to supporting wellbeing and mental health of young people is set out in its Wellbeing Policy Statement and Framework for Practice first published in 2018 and refreshed in 2019.  The approach proposed is a whole school and preventative approach which has multiple components that include providing children and young people with opportunities to:

- build core social and emotional skills and competencies

- experience supportive relationships within the school setting

- be part of a school environment and culture that feels both physically and psychologically safe, in which they feel a sense of belonging and connectedness, that their voice is heard, and they feel supported

Embedded in the whole-school approach is the recognition that members of the school community may have different needs at different times and that a continuum of support in relation to wellbeing should be made available.

My Department’s National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) provides educational psychological support to all primary and post-primary schools. This involves direct support in the event of a critical incident, access to national and regional support and development work to build school capacity to support students, access to a NEPS psychologist for responses to queries arising, and access to individual pupil casework where there is need via a NEPS psychologist. NEPS works closely with the HSE and its agencies to ensure those who may require the provision of therapy or counselling are referred on the appropriate clinical services for intervention and support.

The NEPS Support and Development service, reaching an estimated 25,000 teachers annually, is an applied psychological service for school staff to help build their capability to respond to the wellbeing, academic, social and emotional needs of all students, and particularly those who are experiencing barriers to their wellbeing, learning, inclusion and participation. Professional learning activities to support children/young people with social/emotional/mental health difficulties and to promote positive wellbeing in school include the FRIENDSprogrammes. These are evidence-based anxiety prevention and resilience building programmes, which foster self-concept and a sense of school belonging using Cognitive Behavioural Therapeutically-informed approaches. Friends programmes help students to develop resilience by teaching them effective strategies to cope with, problem solve and manage all kinds of emotional distress, including worry, stress, change and anxiety. The Incredible Years Teacher Classroom Management programme is an evidence-based programme that equips teachers to manage their classrooms effectively to prevent and reduce behavioural problems while promoting children’s wellbeing and emotional and social competence. Since Covid-19 the training has been adapted to online format which increases accessibility for teachers. 

NEPS has developed a range of workshops on the promotion of wellbeing and resilience in schools which include upskilling school staff on the use and implementation of therapeutically-informed approaches in schools.  These include trauma-informed approaches, approaches based on the principles of cognitive behaviour therapy, and attachment-aware approaches. The approaches outlined in the workshops are based on research findings, on the experience of experts in their fields and on the experience of practicing psychologists working in schools. The workshops will be available to build the capability of school staff in both primary and post-primary settings, including for school leaders, teachers and SNAs.

My Department has built strong links with the Department of Health and both Departments are exploring ways to improve supports for young people, including around increased awareness, promoting help-seeking behaviour and sign-posting to the wide range of available services. 

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