Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein)
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25. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills as per her recent press release extending the therapy pilot scheme to schools seeking DEIS status, how many therapists this involves; the frequency at which they will be available to these schools; and when it will commence. [44969/24]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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I am delighted to update you on the recent extension of Strand 1 of the Counselling in Primary Schools Pilot to 61 urban DEIS primary schools in Dublin. The Department of Education is committed to supporting the emotional wellbeing of our children. This pilot further supports the range of mental health and wellbeing supports already provided by my Department and the excellent work already happening in schools in relation to wellbeing. All of these supports supplement the mental health supports which are offered by the HSE throughout the country.

The DEIS Programme is a key policy initiative of the Department of Education to address concentrated educational disadvantage at school level. The department now spends over €180 million annually providing additional supports to just under 1,200 schools in the DEIS programme. Research on addressing the impact of educational disadvantage, including the OECD Review of Resourcing Schools to Address Educational Disadvantage in Ireland, has highlighted the negative impact of social deprivation on wellbeing and educational outcomes. The additional 61 schools that will now be included in Strand 1 of the pilot have been identified by the Department of Education as supporting children from areas with some of the highest levels of disadvantage in the State. The extension of the Counselling in Primary Schools Pilot to these schools is an incremental measure to provide the resources for schools in these areas to support the needs of children.

The extension to Strand 1 will see the provision of one-to-one counselling to support children in two cluster areas in Dublin Southwest and Dublin North City, in addition to the current pilot counties in Cavan, Leitrim, Laois, Longford, Mayo, Monaghan and Tipperary.

Considerable work is being undertaken to roll out this extension of the pilot. My Department has advertised to establish panels of pre-approved experienced counsellors to work in the selected schools for the duration of the pilot. The Department is accepting applications from counsellors accredited with six accrediting bodies for counsellors in Ireland, who meet the requisite criteria for this pilot project. This is to ensure that the counsellors have the appropriate training and skills to engage ethically, professionally and effectively with this vulnerable age group.

Participating schools will be allocated blocks of up to 8 sessions per child. The number of blocks allocated to the schools will be based on their pupil numbers and the availability of counsellors to meet the needs. NEPS psychologists will support participating schools in identifying the pupils who will access the counselling service, subject to parental/legal guardian consent.

The counselling is provided by the counsellor in-person, in the school during school hours. The sessions are book-ended by a pre and post session meeting with parents/legal guardians and relevant school staff. Parents and school staff are seen as key agents of change in a child’s life and are part of the intervention with the child and, through this initiative, will be guided and encouraged to support the child at home and at school on an ongoing basis.

Strand 2 of the Counselling in Primary Schools Pilot is continuing to support schools in cluster areas in Cork, Carlow, Dublin 7 and Dublin 16, through the introduction of Education Wellbeing Teams. There are currently 19 Education Wellbeing Practitioners working under the direction and supervision of lead NEPS psychologists. The Education Wellbeing Practitioners provide support for pupils, parents, and school staff in preventative evidence-based interventions to prevent mild and emerging social and emotional difficulties.

Through this existing pilot and its planned evaluation we are confident that we will gather valuable learning that will inform future policy and provision in this area.