12th May 2014

Dear Principal/Secretary Board of Management,

We are writing to you on behalf of the National Steering Committeefor the Professional Support (Counselling Supervision) Programme for Second Level School Guidance Counsellors. This programme is available to all Guidance Counsellors who:

  • hold a qualification, which makes them eligible to secure appointment to a permanent post in a second level school, under the previous DES circular letter PPT12/05
  • deliver guidance to second level students including those taking Post-Leaving Certificate (PLC) courses and
  • are employed in schools recognised by the Department of Education and Skills

The DES circular 009/2012 supports the provision of one to one Guidance Counselling for students experiencing difficulties. As stated in its response to Research on the Practice of Guidance Counsellors in Post Primary Schools the Department states that it recognises the need to support professional practice in guidance counselling and funds the supervision of guidance counseling through Monaghan Education Centre.

This service, which is fully funded and directed by the Teacher Education Section (TES) of the Department of Education and Skills, is administered by Monaghan Education Centre on behalf of the Teacher Education Section and is organised through the branches of the Institute of Guidance Counsellors.

Specifically, we are requesting that you enable your school to avail of this very important service, by ensuring that any and all Guidance Counsellors employed in your school are free from time-tabled class contact, for one specified afternoon during the 2014/150. school year. Tuesday afternoon is the designated day in all parts of the country except Kerry where it is Wednesday, Donegal where it is Thursday and Cork where it is Friday.

The service is delivered through a series of five two-hour sessionsof Counselling Supervision Support in each academic year by a professionally qualified Counselling Supervisor. Each Guidance Counsellor will therefore receive a total of ten hours supervision throughout the academicyear.

We wish to thank all those Principals who have facilitated their Guidance Counsellors in availing of this service to date. A recent survey undertaken by this Committee has indicated that over 90% of Guidance Counsellors are availing of this service without disrupting the day-to-day activity of the school. This lack of disruption is due to the fact that the School Principal has ensured that Guidance Counsellors are not timetabled for class contact on the designated afternoon per week.

A further advantage to not time-tabling Guidance Counsellors on the designated afternoon is that the Institute of Guidance Counsellors regularly organises Continuing Professional Development activities on this day. The Department of Education and Skills provides funds to the Institute of Guidance Counsellors to organise such in-service events throughout the national network of Education Centres. A Certificate of Attendance for any of these in-service events can be provided.

The experience of Guidance Counsellors who have fully participated in the programme is overwhelmingly positive. Therefore, the National Steering Committee strongly encourages all Guidance Counsellors who are working with second level students, and those taking Post Leaving Certificate courses, to avail of this support in their Counselling work.

On behalf of the Steering Committee we do hope that you will be in a position to accede to this request for the coming school year. If you have any questions regarding the Professional Support (Counselling Supervision) Programme for Second Level School Guidance Counsellors, please contact Monaghan Education Centre at 047 74000.

Yours sincerely,

Jimmy Mc Geough, Director, Monaghan Education Centre

Gerry Flynn, President Institute of Guidance Counsellors

Members of the Steering Committee of the Professional Support Programme

for School Guidance Counsellors:-