Deputy Chair, Sinn Fein’s Karen Mullan (below), wants to come back to earlier issues raised by Daniel McCrossan about counselling services in schools.

She is frank.

“He didn’t want to say if it was sufficient and I can tell you it’s not – listening to those figures," she says.

"It’s more shocking for me to hear that in the size of school of 1,000 children there's five sessions per week.

"This isn’t in any way to have a go at you. This is about us looking at the needs and investment,” she explains.

Image source, NI Assembly

She says: "As the parent of a son who in Year 10, the class lost their best friend - the crisis intervention was excellent, when they came into the school, but it’s too short term.

“It had a detrimental impact on that class of boys and it bore out in their exam results when they came to GCSE.

"As parents we had provided what support was needed but, when they’re in the school together they were grieving together. It was too short term.

It’s something that needs to be looked at."

Image source, PA Media

Social media use during school hours is something DUP MLA Maurice Bradley is concerned about - he asks whether there are plans to stop the use of phones during lessons.

Education official Ricky Irwin says that's largely down to a school's own policy in relation to the use of phones.

"At a policy level we haven't got into the detail of that," he adds but tells the committee that officials are working on an online safety strategy to help young people "recognise the harms that social media and other aspects of the internet provide".

Teachers receive some training in relation to mental health, says Nicola Topping of the Education Authority.

She lists some of those courses, which supplement teachers' initial training. They cover issues such as:

• responding to bullying behaviour
• promoting good emotional health
• supporting students with attachment difficulties

In the course of a question asked by the SDLP's Daniel McCrossan (below) about the availability of support services the issue of “critical incidents” arises.

He refers to the effect suicide can have on young people in schools and asks what help is provided

Nicola Topping from the Education Authority tells Mr McCrossan what he’s describing would be a critical incident.

Image source, NI Assembly

In the aftermath of bereavement or an incident they will provide support in the school to pupils and staff.

“Over the last three years the critical incident response team has responded to 141 critical incidents - since September 2017," she tells him.

“There have been 33 in primary school, 85 in post-primary school and 25 of those being sudden death-type situations”.

DUP MLA William Humphrey says he's been shocked by the amount of money intended for "frontline education" that is instead being spent "buying in" counsellors.

He acknowledges that such help is "much needed" but wants to know how that money can be "invested in education as it's meant to be".

Image source, PA Media

Mark Lee of the Department of Health accepts that waiting times for referrals mental health services for children and young people are too long and there are "too many breaches of the nine-week target".

He tells the committee that funding for counselling services has doubled in the past decade but the "pressure" on that service has grown significantly.

Department of Education official Ricky Irwin reiterates the need to create a system that leads to "prevention and early intervention" that will mitigate the "need for specialist intervention further down the line".

There's a commitment by the Department of Health to publish a mental health action plan within the first few months of this year and a mental health strategy by the end of the year, says official Mark Lee.

He's the department's director for mental health, disability and older people.

Image source, Getty Images

He tells the committee a lot of work has been done on child and teenager mental health services in response to the Still Waiting report from 2018 by the Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children and Young People - you can find that report here, external.

Mr Lee says his department has been heavily involved in work with the education department on mental health plans, with a big focus on "early intervention, prevention and building resilience".

Working with young people is an "absolutely critical part" of that work, he adds.

Mr Irwin explains that in 2018 the National Children’s Bureau (NCB) was commissioned to carry out research.

Factors identified by NCB as as contributing to poor emotional wellbeing included:

- The online world and potential for online bullying

- Pressure to confirm to unrealistic physical and lifestyle expectations as well as the risk of exploitation.

- Childhood adversities

- Academic pressures due to increasing competition for university places and in the job market.

Image source, Gett

In terms of what works to support the children and young people the NCB identified four factors.

- An overarching culture of wellbeing within the education setting

- A skilled and supportive workforce

- Universal prevention provision supplemented with targeted intervention - examples of those being existing counselling services and nurture groups.

- Flexibility to tailor provision to incorporate structured and informal approaches but draw on external expertise when required.

BBC News NI

Sinn Féin is to begin talks with other parties today in an attempt to form a new coalition government in the Republic of Ireland.

It follows Saturday's general election in which no single party secured enough seats to win a majority that would have allowed them to govern alone.

Image source, PA Media

Fianna Fáil finished with the most seats and is the biggest party in the Irish parliament with 38 members.

Sinn Féin - led by Mary Lou McDonald - is one behind with 37 but it topped the first preference poll.

Read more here: Sinn Féin bid to form new government

We're having some problems bringing you video at the moment. We're working to resolve this as soon as possible.

Ricky Irwin from the Department of Education begins with an overview of the work being done to improve the emotional health and wellbeing of children and young people while they are in education.

He says that since he took up the post “every principal and teacher that I’ve met has emphasised the daily challenges they face in supporting and addressing the emotional health and wellbeing of their staff and pupils”

Image source, NI Assembly

Mr Irwin says many schools are “providing excellent support, often going the extra mile”.

But “issues being faced by our children and young people however are becoming increasingly complex,” he adds.

Image source, NI Assembly

Chair Chris Lyttle calls the meeting of the Education Committee to order. All members have managed to struggle through the snow to get up to Stormont

Mr Lyttle outlines how, on Tuesday, the committee informally met special school principals to inform a future Education Authority briefing.

The principals they spoke to raised wide-ranging issues including increasing numbers of pupils, staffing and lack of recognition of pupil qualifications.

Northern Ireland Assembly

Image source, NI Assembly

Good morning from a snow-capped Stormont. Despite the weather the show goes on and today we join the Education Committee where members will hear about mental health plans.

In the afternoon we'll go over to the Executive Committee where details of historical institutional abuse compensation will be outlined.

Wrap up warm, stay with us throughout the day and we'll bring you the highlights from the hill.