Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
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91. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will provide a timeline for the implementation of the key actions in Cineáltas: Action Plan on Bullying; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19726/23]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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My Department launched the Implementation Plan for Cineáltas on 10^thApril 2023, which is available at gov.ie - Cineáltas: Action Plan on Bullying

(www.gov.ie) Cineáltas is dedicated to the prevention and addressing of bullying, cyber bullying, racist bullying, gender identity bullying and sexual harassment, among other areas, in schools. It is centred on a child right’s based approach and provides a collective vision and clear roadmap for how the whole education community and society can work together to prevent and address bullying in our schools.

The Implementation Plan for Cineáltas commits to implementing each of the 61 actions contained in Cineáltas within a five-year period and sets out timeframes and information about how the department is going to implement the actions.

An Implementation and Evaluation Group is being established to oversee implementation of the actions and the publication of annual implementation and evaluation reports, informed by feedback from children and young people, parents, school staff, education partners, key stakeholders and relevant agencies.

Implementation of a number of actions has already progressed. These include the following:

• My Department has recently established a Student Participation Unit, which will promote the participation of children and young people in the development of department policy, building on its existing work in this area
• An Expert Group has been established to advise the department on how best the Student Participation Unit can progress its work. Professor Laura Lundy, Professor of Education Law and Children’s Rights at Queen’s University who developed the Lundy Model of children’s participation will chair this Expert Group
• Work to update the anti-bullying procedures for schools is well underway with Continuous Professional Development and training being developed for all school staff, Board of Management members and parents
• €5 million is being invested to pilot a programme of counselling supports for primary school students. This will serve to support the very positive work which already takes place in the area of wellbeing in schools. The details of the programme are currently being finalised.