Minister Naughton invites you to have your say about Wellbeing in Education

Minister for Education and Youth, Hildegarde Naughton, has today (Tuesday 12 May) launched a public consultation on wellbeing in education.

Since 2018, the Department’s Wellbeing Policy Statement and Framework for Practice has recognised that children and young people learn more effectively and achieve better academic outcomes when they experience a sense of belonging in school, have confidence in themselves and feel supported in their school communities. The policy promotes four key areas of wellbeing in education spanning supportive school culture and environment, high-quality teaching and learning that allow opportunities for success, positive relationships and ensuring that wellbeing is reflected in all school policies and planning.

The Department is now reviewing this wellbeing policy and preparing for a successor that will guide wellbeing policy in our schools up to 2030 and beyond.

Today a large-scale consultation is being launched, and the public are invited to participate in a number of ways. These include:

• Survey: Children and young people, parents/guardians and school staff are invited to complete an online survey: here
• Submission: Making a submission on behalf of an organisation or an individual

The survey and submissions process will remain open until 2 June 2026.

The survey is designed to gather feedback on current wellbeing practices, identify strengths and challenges, and inform future policy development. All responses will be treated in confidence and used solely for the purposes of the policy review. The survey has been designed with accessibility in mind and will be available in up to nine additional languages as well as English and Irish to seek as wide a participation as possible.

In addition to the survey and submission processes, separate focus groups will be organised to allow for the participation and feedback of children and young people and of stakeholders working and advocating for the wellbeing of children and young people.

An independently-chaired Advisory Group which met for the first time on 12 March 2026 will oversee this review. The Advisory Group has 30 members and is chaired by Professor Margaret Barry, Director of the World Health Organisation Collaborating Centre for Health Promotion Research at the University of Galway. The group includes representatives of advocacy organisations, children and young people, parents/ guardians, management bodies, school leaders, unions, creativity and planetary health. The Department is also convening a Child and Youth Advisory Group to ensure that the voices of children and young people meaningfully shape the review and that consultation methods are appropriate, inclusive and responsive to their needs.

Minister Naughton said:

“We recognise that education today needs to be rich and varied that supports our children and young people develop not only academically but also emotionally, socially and creatively. While schools are settings for learning we also know it is in school where values are defined, relationships formed, cultures and a sense of belonging developed, and all of these have formative effects on each of us as we develop and grow.

The wellbeing of children and young people is paramount. The challenge our education system faces is to equip the young people of today with the necessary skills to help them thrive and adapt in an ever-changing world. This is an opportunity for young people, parents/guardians, educators and wider society to help shape wellbeing within Ireland’s education system. This is an opportunity for everyone to have their say and help inform the future of wellbeing within our schools. I want this to be a consultation accessible to everyone and I am confident that Professor Barry and her colleagues on the Advisory Group and in my department will ensure this happens.”

The Wellbeing Office in the Department of Education & Youth, situated within the National Education Psychological Service (NEPS) is undertaking a three-phase review of the DEY Wellbeing Policy and Framework for Practice:

• Phase 1: Completed in 2025, gathered feedback from those who had responsibility for implementing any of the 32 actions in the implementation plan. They were asked to feedback on progress achieved, challenges encountered, key learnings, and recommendations.
• Phase 2: Involved commissioning the ESRI to conduct a literature review on wellbeing promotion. Published on 20 January 2026, the review examined strengths of the Irish system, areas for improvement, international best practice, and approaches to measuring and monitoring wellbeing. This report is being used to guide the broader consultation and future planning.
• Phase 3: underway throughout 2026, this phase centres on broader stakeholder engagement to develop a new policy and implementation plan. There are three parts to phase 3 which will include.
• Part 1: A public submission process, together with a consultation survey seeking the views and experiences of students, parents/guardians and school staff across primary and post-primary schools and those in alternative settings. Participation is important in ensuring that the policy reflects the lived realities of school communities and supports positive wellbeing outcomes. Surveys and the submission process will remain open until 02 June 2026
• Part 2: Focus groups will gather meaningful insights from a broad range of stakeholders—including parents/guardians, education professionals, support organisations, and marginalized communities. With over 100+ stakeholder groups identified the plan is that from May to September this year up to 17 focus group sessions with diverse stakeholder representation will be held to collect the views of the public on wellbeing in education
• Part 3: Consultations with Children & Young People will also occur from May with primary age children and from September with post primary aged young people, ensuring meaningful engagement from diverse groups of children and young people, actively seeking out seldom-heard groups. The approach used will include large events with children and young people from many schools, school based and targeted consultations with the seldom heard.

Information on all aspects of the review will be available to the public on https://www.gov.ie/en/department-of-education/publications/review-of-the-department-of-education-youths-wellbeing-policy-statement-framework-for-practice/.

The consultation process should hopefully conclude by the autumn with an updated policy and new implementation plan to be launched by late Spring 2027.