Kathleen Funchion (Carlow-Kilkenny, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I have some observations on prevention. People have a range of difficulties, some which are severe. So much could be done in respect of prevention, not least at school level. A major issue I always raise is that the school system is far too academic and pressurised. When kids join junior and senior infants, they tend to love school, but by the time they have finished, they cannot wait to leave. While the work becomes more difficult, there is less and less free time. Perhaps there could be a greater focus on mindfulness, meditation and the listening skills that were mentioned.

Fifteen years ago, I did voluntary work with the Samaritans, which provided an excellent course in listening. It was the first training that volunteers had to do and it took approximately four weeks. It is beneficial to one's entire life. We were taught to listen without judging, which was difficult because one's first instinct is to say the problem can be solved. Learning to sit and listen without judgment was invaluable. I do not suggest that that level of training should be provided to children. It would have to be age appropriate but we could do far more at primary level from the moment the child enters the school system. It is not all about academics. Being kind and being a good listener are important skills, but it is as though they do not matter because pupils have to get As or be top of the sports team.

I even have a difficulty with the idea of awarding a student of the week, although I understand why schools do it. While schools will argue it means every child will get a chance, the child who is awarded it every May or June, for example, will realise he or she is awarded it every May or June, not September or October. It bothers me. We cannot get away from it because it is so widely discussed. We are all guilty as parents of being proud of our kids, but it is expressed in so many ways, whether through the student of the week award, junior certificate results or parent-teacher meetings. Years ago, people did not really talk about such matters and one would not have known the details, whereas now it is everywhere, including online, and one can access everything. We are all aware of the pressure it puts on kids, and our guests are the experts and deal with it every day, but far more could be done in school in respect of prevention and early intervention. We say all the time it is okay not to be okay, but do we mean that? If a young person is struggling in school, it is not okay. There needs to be a greater emphasis on the matter.

I do not know whether our guests have much interaction with the school completion programme and I accept that its activity throughout the country is hit and miss. In my experience, it is fantastic. Schools that are in the programme in my region have access to play therapy and counselling, and there is no waiting list. It is based entirely on the needs of the child rather than requiring the parents to take a means test. The parents' means are irrelevant. It is about what the child needs at the time. A number of other services are also provided. If there was more play therapy and counselling, depending on what is age appropriate at primary and second level, there would be a far better outcome for many of the less complex difficulties, such as those relating to anxiety, coping mechanisms and building resistance.

The schools that participate in the school completion programme tend to have that early intervention, which stops it from becoming a major issue or at least gives children an idea of how to cope going forward. A lot of it is about coping mechanisms and building resilience.