550. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Education and Youth the position regarding any engagement she has had with an organisation (details supplied) in relation to the provision of counselling and mental health supports in secondary schools. [64952/26]

551. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Education and Youth the position regarding any engagement she has had with an organisation (details supplied) in relation to the provision of counselling and mental health supports in primary schools. [64953/26]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 550 and 551 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).

As you will be aware there is no single recognised counselling qualification and no national regulatory body for counselling in Ireland at this point in time as Coru has not been progressed. Training in counselling can vary from a weekend course to a Masters or PHD. There are also many different types of therapy available but not all the therapists that have completed these courses are trained mental health professionals but rather trained practitioners of the particular type of therapy.

In the development of the pilot in 2023 the Department initially liaised with three main accrediting bodies for counsellors in Ireland the Irish Association of Humanistic and Integrative Psychotherapists in Ireland (IAHIP); the Irish Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (IACP)) and the Psychological Society of Ireland (PSI) in relation to supporting the counselling pilot in primary schools.

The Department also liaised with additional accredited bodies and having considered the qualifications, training and experience of these additional bodies, the Department agreed to extend the eligibility criteria to members of the Irish Council for Psychotherapy (ICP), the Irish Association of Play Therapy & Psychotherapy and the Association of Child Art Psychotherapists (ACAP).

This ensures that:

• the high level of governance and quality that is required for this landmark project is achieved particularly in view of the highly sensitive nature of providing counselling for children.

• that the counsellors have appropriate training, skills and competencies to engage ethically, professionally and effectively with this age group.

• that the counselling provided for this vulnerable population is of the highest professional standards and delivered by counsellors that have been through the rigorous accreditation process of these organisations

• that the counsellors operate and adhere to the Code of Ethics of their relevant accrediting body.

Under the Terms and Conditions of the Counselling in Primary Schools Pilot the Irish Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy is one of our specified accredited bodies for which counsellor’s educational qualifications must be recognised and which counsellors must be an accredited member of. In August I published an evaluation of the Counselling Pilot which was completed by the Centre for Effective Services (CES). 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. The Department continues in its efforts to raise awareness about the Counselling Pilot through all relevant counsellor accrediting bodies, and we have provided information sessions through the accrediting bodies including the IACP for interested counsellors, in an effort to recruit additional counsellors.

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 CPS-P 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.

The post primary school environment offers a variety of additional supports which are not available in primary schools, including Guidance Counselling, Student Support Teams and the Neart programme. Guidance Counselling is a key support at post primary level that provides a significant amount of personal and social counselling support to students. Student Support Teams are also a central part of the student support system in a post-primary school. Neart is a new national programme of mental health and wellbeing resources and training for post-primary schools, which have been developed by Jigsaw in partnership with NEPS and is available to all post-primary schools. A dedicated wellbeing portal has also been developed and is now available, bringing together all the wellbeing supports and resources that have been developed by the Department and the Department’s support services.