Guidance Supervision is under the chairmanship of the Teacher Professional Learning Section (TPLS) of the Department of Education and Youth (DEY) and is administered through Monaghan Education Support Centre. It facilitates all guidance counsellors working in second level schools and colleges of further education in undertaking professional supervision of their guidance counselling work, and particularly their one-to-one counselling activity with students. The Institute of Guidance Counsellors organises the location and timing of the counselling support service at local level throughout the country.

The service is delivered through a series of six two-hour sessions of counselling supervision support in each academic year, by a professionally qualified Counselling Supervisor. Each guidance counsellor will therefore receive a total of twelve hours supervision throughout the academic year and will be provided with an appropriate certificate of attendance at the end of May.

The DEY recognises the need to support professional practice in guidance counselling, and therefore funds this supervision of guidance counselling service.

Please find below information on the DEY Guidance Policy

Department of Education and Youth Guidance Policy:

The Guidance Unit in the Department of Education and Youth was established in 2022. Since then, a number of key policy documents relating to whole school guidance, including the role of the guidance counsellor, have been published. This includes a circular on guidance in post-primary schools and a number of information notes. It is incumbent upon guidance counselling supervisors, that they are aware of this policy content.

ALL contemporary policy is accessible through gov.ie – Guidance

Key policy documents include, but are not limited to the following:

Circular 0072/2026  Guidance in Post-Primary Schools Circular on post-primary Guidance

0003/2024: Information Note for Principals, Guidance Counsellors and Guidance Teams in relation to the storage and transfer of guidance-counselling notes (2024) 

0001/2024: Information Note for Principals, Guidance Counsellors and Guidance Teams in relation to Whole-School Guidance 

0009/2023: Information Note for Principals, Guidance Counsellors, Guidance Teams in relation to Whole-School-Guidance Provision at Junior Cycle 

0008/2023: Information Note for Schools in Relation to Personal and Social Guidance Counselling 

0001/2023: Advice on the use of assessment instruments/tests for Guidance or for additional and special educational needs (SEN) in post-primary schools 

The DEY circulars listed below provide additional information on guidance counselling:

Please find below useful resources relating to Guidance Supervision

Clarification of who is eligible to attend Professional Support (Guidance Counselling Supervision) Programme for Post-Primary Guidance Counsellors

Guidelines for the Organisation of the Professional Support (Guidance Counselling Supervision) Programme for Post-Primary Guidance Counsellors

Criteria for the Appointment of GC Supervisors

Problem-solving Protocol for Supervisors and Supervisees

Letter to Principals of attending Schools

Letter to Principals of non-attending Schools

Evaluation Report 2024/25

Information Note: Professional Supervision Practice

How to access Guidance Counselling Supervision: www.igc.ie or ring 01 6761975

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