Dear 6th class Parents/Guardians,
Neart (the Irish word for strength) is the new national programme of mental health and wellbeing supports and training for post-primary schools. Neart is a collaboration between Jigsaw – The National Centre for Youth Mental Health - and NEPS (National Educational Psychological Service) / Department of Education and Youth. Our resources are now available for all post-primary schools in Ireland.
Neart is providing a range of free mental health and wellbeing resources for all parents / guardians of post-primary school students across Ireland. Supports include a series of mental health webinars, podcasts and other online information for parents and guardians.
Neart, in collaboration with the National Parents Council completed a national consultation with parents and guardians in early 2024, asking them about what their top issues of concern/interest were in relation to their children’s mental health. Having received over 1,800 responses, we are able to ensure that the resources Neart offers are directly responding to the issues of most concerns and interest to parents/guardians.
We encourage all parents / guardians of post-primary school students to sign up for the monthly Neart newsletters here: Neart parent / guardian sign up. This will give you access to recordings of all past webinars, and invitations to sign up to upcoming webinars. Topics include managing anxiety, supporting your child to transition to post-primary school, and managing the impact of social media on mental health.
You can also access our new podcast series specifically for parents / guardians of post-primary school students, “Neart Youth Mental Health Podcast” on Apple podcasts, Spotify and wherever you get your podcasts.
Sign up now to access all Neart resources, including lots of information and resources on how you can support your child as they start first year in September.
An Roinn Oideachais agus Óige
Department of Education and Youth
