Minister for Education Norma Foley has announced Jigsaw as the successful bidder to provide services to further support wellbeing and mental health in post-primary schools. The new programme will be called Neart – the Irish word for strength.

The tender, published in April of this year, invited suitable providers to work closely with the Department of Education over a three-year period to develop and deliver additional supports to enhance Student Support Team capacity to work with students, parents and school staff.

The new Neart programme, provided by Jigsaw, will provide learning opportunities for students that promote mental health and wellbeing as well as mental health webinars and e-Learning courses for parents and school staff

The Department of Education believe that Jigsaw’s existing experience delivering initiatives supporting the mental health of young people across post-primary schools made them an exemplary partner in this new initiative. Their work will complement the supports already available in schools that include: the provision of guidance counselling, the work of the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS), as well as the existing wellbeing programmes and initiatives including the Student Support Team structure.


The new Neart programme will complement the supports already available in schools; the provision of guidance counselling, the work of the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) as well as the existing wellbeing programmes and initiatives including the Student Support Team structure.

The Department of Education, through NEPS, is currently working with Jigsaw on Phase 1 of the programme to develop and finalise the resources that will be available to schools through the initiative.

Engagement with schools will begin in Phase 2 and further information about available programmes and e-Learning supports will be announced during this second phase, which will commence in late November of this year.

Supports and programmes Jigsaw will provide:

Supports for students that will: