Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 7 November 2017
1174. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if all front-line staff receive suicide prevention training, if suicide prevention training is mandatory for front-line staff under the aegis of her Department; and if not, her plans to make such training mandatory with the provision of a refresher online course available to staff to be completed every three years thereafter. [45657/17]
View answerMy Department fully recognises the need to support staff and promote awareness of suicide and its prevention. My Department has been proactive in providing training and supports in this area. The Department provides suicide prevention training to staff through the delivery of the ‘safeTalk’ programme, which is designed to help participants identify people with thoughts of suicide and connect them to suicide first aid resources.
The National Office for Suicide Prevention (NOSP) also provides access to the more advanced Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) workshop conducted by the HSE to the staff of my Department
While there are no plans to make suicide prevention programmes mandatory, the Department will continue to deliver stress awareness courses, mental health awareness and the SafeTalk and ASIST programmes to staff. In addition, the Department will continue to promote awareness of suicide prevention among staff by publicising designated awareness days such as World Suicide Prevention Day and World Mental Health Day.
