Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Thursday, 13 March 2014

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children

Suicide in Ireland: Discussion

12:30 pm

Photo of Mary Mitchell O'ConnorMary Mitchell O'Connor (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses for the very good work they do. If somebody comes to my constituency office seeking advice on where to go, where do I send the person? This has happened in the past. I accompanied someone to a mental health hospital and I was very disappointed and concerned because on every evening I went to see the person different personnel were working there. There were also different members of staff at family meetings and one had to start at the beginning and explain the whole case again. I do not have much confidence in sending people to mental health hospitals, one in particular. Where do the witnesses suggest we send people when they come to our offices?

My background is in education. When the witnesses spoke about education in the classroom for children and teenagers do they believe it should be delivered by guidance counsellors? I believe it must come from the home. One must learn one's resilience in the home and bring it with one to the classroom.

My experience is that if they do not get learn that at home, it is very difficult to develop it in the school.

Mr. Austin's report alludes to the fact that there may be too many agencies. I asked the previous group the number of agencies providing support to people who have difficulties in mental health and suicidal ideation.

The representative of the Irish Association of Suicidology mentioned quality assurance of counselling. Can he assure us that there is quality assurance in respect of the people delivering it on the ground, be it to people with suicidal ideation or to family members after a suicide who are very vulnerable? I want to make sure there is quality assurance in that regard. Can Mr. Austin tell me if that is the case? I am sure that is the case in respect of some of his organisation's groups but I have attended meetings where people have outlined their experiences and I would be concerned about them giving advice. We must have sound advice from experts. Is that happening on the ground or is the service so diluted and fractured that some of the expert organisations are not getting the resources that should be ploughed into them? Is it being diluted across the sector?

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