Youth Mental Health and Guidance Services in Secondary Schools: Motion [Private Members]
Seanad Éireann — 2023-06-21
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Aisling Dolan (FG), Nominated by the Taoiseach

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Byrne, for being here today. I also thank Senator Garvey for tabling this motion on youth mental health and guidance services in secondary schools. I am a member of the Joint Sub-Committee on Mental Health. We need to speak more about mental health, and I think we have been in the past year or two years. Of course, we should never underestimate the stigma around speaking about this. It can be difficult for young people, particularly in schools, to talk about it. We need to be role models.
I was on a mental health webinar this week. It was on the impact for young people and the challenges they face. It looked in particular at CAMHS.
In her motion, Senator Garvey refers specifically to secondary schools and the role of guidance counsellors. It is incredible to think the role has changed significantly since I was in school. It has broadened out. There is so much ambition for young people when they are coming up to their final years in school. There is excitement around that as well as around the opportunity and potential for young people. Career guidance counsellors are so involved with students.
It is important to note, in particular after Covid, that career guidance counsellors are taking on a role on the emotional side and on the social side. It is important we have enough counsellors in our schools to be able to support our students, about which Senator Garvey is speaking.
In this morning's information session with Jigsaw and the Institute of Guidance Counsellors, IGC, it was important to understand that what they were asking for was that enough hours are given. I suppose what Senator Garvey is calling for here is to reduce the ratio of full-time guidance counsellors in order to increase the number of guidance counsellors available to our students and to restore the ex-quota status.
I might comment on some of the other areas I see as relevant here. Senator Garvey mentioned DEIS schools, which have increased in number. Last year the Minister, Deputy Foley, increased the number of DEIS schools for the first time in a number of years, but it was more for primary schools. I was fortunate that the secondary school in Ballinasloe, Ardscoil Mhuire, was granted DEIS status but it was the only secondary school in County Galway granted it. As Senator Garvey noted, by doing so, there are now additional supports, which are crucial.
I would like to ask about the qualifications for career guidance counsellors. Working with the IGC, could we look at the qualifications, the expertise and the experience career guidance counsellors bring - for example, on the psychotherapy side and on the social side? Are there other experiences and expertise that could be part of that because when people are recruiting career guidance counsellors in schools, they are probably looking at different skill sets?
On the role of Jigsaw, in the webinar I was on on Monday, Jigsaw and Dr. Duffy, who presented this morning, spoke very much about the one good adult. Young people in primary and secondary schools need support but I am very interested in the youth mental health certificate Jigsaw runs, which is a specialist certificate in youth mental health. I refer to the one good adult and to clubs and other places in our towns and villages which young people frequent. Coaches could be interested in doing something like the youth mental health certificate.
The Minister, Deputy Foley, and Minister of State, Deputy Madigan, are very focused on mental health and the welfare of students and young people in schools. I understand there is a dedicated team to support and strengthen the guidance provision in schools. That started last September under the Department of Education support services. The Minister is also looking at guidance around the junior cycle. This is all great to see but, of course, it needs to happen very quickly. We need to have this in place. I mention also social and personal guidance counselling.
One of the elements that is important also for young people, and for young people moving from leaving certificate, is the transition period. That is a stressful time. I refer to moving from sixth class to first year and how we support our first years. It is a particularly difficult stressful time and it is also a transition period. I am sure many parents feel that as well when their children move from a national school to secondary school or from the secondary school to third level. It is clear that many young people need additional support. That is maybe where the role of guidance counsellors would come in and where I would like to see an increase in supports being made available.
Senators will be aware there are 928 guidance counsellors across the post-primary system. I suppose I am looking at this from a mental health perspective as well. I note the budget allocation is the highest ever at €1.2 billion, but, of course, we need more. Of that, more than €137 million was for CAMHS. It is looking to recruit at a very senior level for the posts of youth mental health lead at assistant national director level in the HSE and a new clinical lead for youth mental health. Both of these positions, when people are in situ , will drive access to mental health services and perhaps engage with the Department of Education around how we deliver supports to young people because they do not work in silos. We do not deliver supports in one segment only. It has to be integrated and we need to look at how we do this across multiple Departments.
I thank Senator Garvey and support her in this. I would like to hear from the Minister of State how the Department of Education and the Department of Health, which has responsibility for mental health services and public health, would work well together.

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Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:52:02+00:00
Sitting date: 2023-06-21