501. Deputy Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether consideration is being given to placing the counselling in Primary Schools Pilot Programme on a permanent footing and expanding it nationally; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [64478/26]

502. Deputy Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh asked the Minister for Education and Youth the current status of the Counselling in Primary Schools Pilot Programme; the number of schools participating and pupils supported to date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [64477/26]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 501 and 502 together.

My department is committed to supporting the emotional wellbeing of our children and young people. In 2023 my department launched two landmark initiatives, one to one counselling provision for children in all primary schools in Cavan, Laois, Leitrim, Longford, Mayo, Monaghan and Tipperary and access to an Education Wellbeing Practitioner, a new type of in-school support in selected schools in Carlow, Cork, Dublin 7 and Dublin 16. As the Deputy will be aware, this Pilot sees direct counselling supports being provided to children in their primary school for the first time. These initiatives are being provided in addition to the other wellbeing and mental health supports provided by the Department and its agencies.

In October 2024, my department announced the extension of the Pilot to 61 urban DEIS primary schools in Tallaght, Clondalkin, Finglas, Ballymun and Darndale. The schools included in the pilot were identified by my department as supporting children from areas with some of the highest levels of disadvantage in the State. I also recently announced the extension of this counselling provision to 102 primary schools in the DEIS Plus scheme. The 102 primary and 27 post primary schools in the scheme will have access to the support of an Education Wellbeing Practitioner (EWP).

It should be noted that the provision of child and adolescent mental health services lies within the remit of the Department of Health and the HSE. The counselling service provided through the Pilot Programme is designed as an interim, early-intervention support for children with mild to moderate mental health needs. It is not intended to replace the role of the psychologist from NEPS or services provided by HSE Primary Care Psychology or CAMHS, but rather to complement and enhance the existing supports available to children and families. The pilot operates on the clear understanding that children who are attending HSE Primary Care Psychology or CAMHS should continue to engage with those services. Similarly, children who are awaiting assessment or intervention through HSE services should remain on those waiting lists. The Counselling in primary Schools Pilot is designed as a supplementary support and not as a substitute for clinical assessment, diagnosis or long-term therapeutic intervention. Where a child presents with needs that require ongoing or specialist intervention, appropriate referral pathways through HSE services remain available and should be pursued.

In August I published an evaluation of the Counselling Pilot which was completed by the Centre for Effective Services (CES). The findings of the Evaluation highlighted the positive impact of school-based counselling and access to an Education Wellbeing Practitioner. The supports were highly valued by pupils, parents, school leaders and staff, and delivered meaningful benefits, including improvements in emotional regulation, resilience, communication skills and coping strategies. The findings demonstrate the value of early intervention and prevention focused supports in primary schools and also highlights the important role that schools can play in providing accessible, preventative and early intervention wellbeing supports.

The Evaluation highlighted challenges securing suitably qualified, experienced and accredited counsellors despite the department accepting and processing applications from counsellors on an ongoing basis through a rolling application process. We currently have 44 counsellors on the penal. Also in December 2024, following a competitive tendering process, Cpl Healthcare were engaged by the Department to support the recruitment of counsellors. Cpl Healthcare despite actively recruiting counsellors have only secured 4 counsellors. Additionally, the Department is continuing its efforts to raise awareness about the Counselling Pilot through all relevant counsellor accrediting bodies and we have also provided information sessions through the accrediting bodies for interested counsellors, in an effort to recruit additional counsellors. The evaluation found that the Education Wellbeing Practitioner model demonstrated broader reach, lower costs per pupil, stronger workforce sustainability and benefits across the wider school community.

The Education Wellbeing Practitioners undergo an in-depth training programme provided by NEPS to provide enhanced in-school early intervention and prevention support on a weekly basis in schools. The focus of the support provided is on strengthening whole school preventative approaches. This includes the provision of psycho-educational support for parents and teachers, and the provision of early intervention to children with mild/emerging need, using low-level therapeutically informed approaches, 20 Education Wellbeing Practitioners have been working in schools in four cluster areas. In June 2026 a new recruitment campaign was launched to further expand the number of Education Wellbeing Practitioners under the DEIS Plus Scheme, in 102 primary schools with an extension also to 27 post-primary schools. Recruitment is in progress and onboarding is expected to take place over the coming weeks.

Currently there are 727 schools participating in the Counselling Pilot. The total number of primary school children who have benefited from counselling under the Pilot to date is 2,190. There are currently 78 schools in 4 cluster areas that have weekly access to the support of an Education Wellbeing Practitioner. Since the start of the pilot the EWPs have supported 20,185 primary school children, 2,768 school management and staff and 1,549 parents.