Primary school students in Dublin are set to be offered free counselling services for the first time thanks to a new pilot scheme.
From September 2023 the pilot scheme will see 78 schools from Dublin, Carlow and Cork given access to free counselling for their pupils. Education Minister Norma Foley received Cabinet approval last month to roll out the well-being pilot programme and some €5 million was allocated for the new scheme.
The first part of the programme saw one-to-ne counselling sessions in counties Cavan, Laois, Leitrim, Longford, Mayo, Monaghan, Tipperary, via access to a Department of Education-approved counsellor. The second part will see the creation of specialist wellbeing practitioners to support the welfare of four to twelve-year-olds at primary school level, and these practitioners will be working under the supervision of National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) psychologists.
Fianna Fail TD John Lahart has welcomed that free counselling services will soon be offered to children in Dublin from September. The Dublin South West TD said: "I’m very pleased my Fianna Fáil colleague Minister for Education Norma Foley has extended this significant pilot programme.
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"It is the first time that primary school children in Dublin will be offered free counselling services. Minister Foley has recognised the impact of Covid-19 on primary school-aged children and this service is designed to help those young students who may be suffering from mental health challenges stemming from the pandemic.
"It will further complement existing resources to support children’s mental health and wellbeing already being provided in our schools.''
The new counselling and wellbeing/mental health supports are expected to focus on strengthening whole-school preventative approaches and include the provision of psycho-education support for parents and teachers. It will also include the provision of early intervention to groups of children or individual children with mild or emerging needs, using low-level therapeutically informed approaches.
“Developing and promoting wellbeing across our education system is a key priority for Fianna Fáil in Government as it is essential to allowing children to learn and grow to the very best of their abilities,” added Deputy Lahart.
Also in September, a free school books scheme is set to be rolled out with pupils being provided with workbooks and copies. The scheme is being introduced to ease the financial burdens facing families at the beginning of the school year.
The government is investing €50 million in the free school books programme, and it is an expansion of the free school book pilot which is currently in effect in over 100 Deis schools.
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