Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 1 February 2017
71. Deputy Pat Buckley asked the Minister for Health the status of plans to deliver a comprehensive mental health education package for schools and to work with the Minister of Education and Skills to improve school environments in order to improve mental health for young persons. [4632/17]
View answerEducation is key to improving the mental health, resilience and emotional well-being of our young people. Last year saw the launch of the first Action Plan for Education by the Department of Education and Skills. This included a section on Mental Health and Wellbeing. The aims in this section were set to roll out a national programme to support the implementation of Wellbeing Guidelines to all primary and post-primary schools; to implement Wellbeing at Junior Cycle; and to publish the 2015 Lifeskills survey, providing information on how schools cater for the wellbeing of their students. This plan outlines hundreds of actions and sub-actions to be implemented across 2016-2019, with timelines and lead responsibility assigned. I will be working closely with my colleague the Minister for Education and Skills on this issue to ensure these actions are implemented. With this in mind, for further details on school-based mental health and well-being, the Department of Education would be better placed to answer such queries.
However, the Department of Health and the Department of Education and Skills do have a strong history of working together to support youth mental health.
In 2013, the Department of Education and Skills, the HSE, and the Department of Health jointly developed Well-Being in Post Primary Schools Guidelines for Mental Health Promotion and Suicide Prevention. This was followed in 2015 by the publication of Guidelines setting out a framework for mental health promotion in primary schools.
In 2015, the Government launched Connecting for Life, Ireland's National Strategy to Reduce Suicide with the aim of reducing suicide and self-harm over 2015-2020. The Strategy sets out a vision where fewer lives are lost through suicide, and where communities and individuals are empowered to improve their mental health and well-being. It will provide community-based organisations with guidelines, protocols and training on effective suicide prevention.
One of the main goals in Connecting for Life is to target approaches to reduce suicidal behaviour and improve mental health among priority groups, including young people. Several key actions have been identified to further this goal in the Education sector, including:
- Support the implementation of the relevant guidelines for mental health promotion and suicide prevention across primary and post-primary schools;
- Guide and encourage the implementation of the relevant policies and plans in schools, including support for Student Support Teams and for critical incident management;
- Work with the HSE to develop national guidance for higher education institutions in relation to suicide risk and critical incident response;
- Implement the National Anti-bullying Action Plan including online and homophobic bullying;
- Support all junior and senior schools to implement a new Wellbeing programme; and
- Deliver early intervention and psychological support service for young people at primary care level.
These actions are part of the overall policy objectives of the Department of Education and Skills. They are supported by my Department and the HSE through the inter-agency implementation arrangements provided for in Connecting for Life and overseen by the Cabinet Committee on Social Policy and Public Service Reform.
