Mattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent)
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73. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills whether it is the school or her Department which bears responsibility under the Bí Cineálta framework, in circumstances where a child is affirmed in a new gender identity at school, but later comes to believe this caused more harm than good; the reason, when numerous education agencies around the world have shifted towards more cautious, clinically-led approaches when working with gender dysphoria in children, her Department is taking a more high-risk approach; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34572/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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Cineáltas: Action Plan on Bullying was launched on 1st December 2022. Cineáltas is my department’s whole-education approach to preventing and addressing bullying in schools.

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 rights-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 behaviour in our schools.

Cineáltas incorporates each of the nine components of UNESCO’s Whole Education Approach to prevent and address bullying behaviour. It is rooted in four key principles: prevention, support, oversight and community.

One of the more significant actions under Cineáltas was to update the 2013 Anti-Bullying Procedures for Primary and Post-Primary Schools. This action has been completed with the publication on 19 June 2024 of the Bí Cineálta: Procedures to Prevent and Address Bullying Behaviour for Primary and Post-Primary Schools.

These updated procedures were developed in collaboration with the education partners, including the National Parents Council, and are heavily informed by the views of children and young people, parents, school staff, Board of Management members and the wider education community.

An extensive consultation process was carried out to inform the development of Cineáltas and the Bí Cineálta procedures. Over 4,600 responses were received from the public consultation in addition to 78 submissions received from the request for submissions. 170 children and young people from diverse backgrounds were also consulted.

The Bí Cineálta procedures are centred on a child rights-based approach and support a partnership approach where all members of the school community work together to prevent and address bullying behaviour.

The procedures have been updated to take account of gender identity bullying, cyberbullying, racist bullying, sexist bullying, and sexual harassment. They support schools to develop clear strategies to prevent and address these bullying behaviours.

Circular 0055/2024 was published in August 2024 and provides school management authorities with further information on the updated Bí Cineálta procedures which must be implemented by the beginning of the 25/26 school year.

Implementation of the procedures is being supported by a suite of professional learning resources and information sessions for school staff, Board of Management members and parents.

Information seminars on the updated procedures were held throughout October 2024 which were open to school leaders from every school. From November 2024, Oide offered in-person professional learning to two staff members from every school in the country, one of which must have been a school leader.

Furthermore, all schools could avail of a half-day closure in the current school year in order to engage with all school staff on the requirements of the updated anti-bullying procedures. Additionally, management bodies have updated their training for Boards of Management and the National Parents Council has updated their training for parents.

The Bí Cineálta procedures include a template for schools to use for their Bí Cineálta policy. This template includes common text that all schools must use in their policy. Schools must outline the preventative strategies that they will use and the steps that will be taken to address incidents of bullying behaviour if and when they occur.

Every school can decide, as a school community, on what strategies and actions they deem appropriate to adopt in its Bí Cineálta policy.