Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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Social, Personal and Health Education (SPHE) is a mandatory part of the primary curriculum, which provide vital opportunities for the development of children’s wellbeing in the physical, social, emotional and intellectual domains. Initiatives such as the Incredible Years Programmes and the FRIENDS Programmes which complement the curriculum are also available to schools. These programmes which have been welcomed by schools and their impact positively evaluated reduces anxiety and promotes coping and resilience in children and young people from 4-18 years can be delivered by class teachers, universally or to targeted smaller groups of pupils.

The area of wellbeing and the promotion of positive mental health is a priority for the Department of Education. This includes promoting emotional wellbeing and resilience and positive coping skills, which support children and young people to manage the complexities of modern life.

The Department of Education’s approach to supporting wellbeing and mental health is set out in its Wellbeing Policy Statement and Framework for Practice which informs the Department’s extensive and ongoing work in the area of student wellbeing and mental health.

Oide, the support service for teachers and school leaders, provides training to schools to ensure that the promotion of wellbeing will be at the core of the ethos of every school and support schools in implementing the Wellbeing Framework.

Schools are encouraged to use a reflective, school self-evaluation approach to identify and prioritise the needs of its own school community in relation to the promotion of wellbeing and mental health, and to respond to meeting those needs.

The National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) of the Department provides a comprehensive, school-based psychological service to all primary and post primary schools through the application of psychological theory and practice to support the wellbeing, academic, social and emotional development of all learners. NEPS provides a casework service to schools through the assigned NEPS psychologist.Individual casework service involves a high level of psychologist collaboration with teachers and parents, often also working directly with the child/young person.

NEPS also has responsibility for Wellbeing Policy Implementation and NEPS teams offer training and guidance for teachers in the provision of universal and targeted evidence-informed approaches and early intervention to promote children’s wellbeing, social, emotional and academic development.

A dedicated wellbeing portal is also available, bringing together all the wellbeing supports and resources that have been developed by the Department and the Department’s support services, which is available under ‘Wellbeing for Education’ on gov.ie.

As you will appreciate, there are an extensive number of agencies, voluntary groups and individuals offering a very wide range of interventions, presentations and programmes to schools in the area of child wellbeing. Schools can choose programmes and resources which meet the specific needs of their own context in terms of promoting wellbeing. Advice is available for schools on including external facilitators in the promoting of wellbeing.