James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am taking this Topical Issue debate on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Ruairí Quinn. I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter. Suicide is a tragedy that we strive constantly to prevent and also we are working to give more support to the families and school communities affected. Changes in society and technology have added considerably to the difficulties experienced by young people. Bullying can ruin a young person's enjoyment of some of the most important years of his or her life and, unfortunately, in some cases this can have tragic consequences. Schools are expected to have a range of policies that promote the well-being of students and support those who experience difficulty. The Department of Education and Skills funds a number of programmes and has issued guidelines to schools.

Tackling the issue of bullying in schools is a key objective of the Government. It is for this reason my colleague, the Minister, Deputy Quinn, convened an anti-bullying forum in the Department of Education and Skills earlier this year. This forum provided an opportunity to explore with all the relevant stakeholders how best to tackle bullying in schools and to consider the strategies and practices required to address the matter. Submissions were also invited. A working group is working on follow-up actions. A specific aspect of this work is to identify changes to existing practices and policies that could improve how bullying is tackled and how awareness of bullying and its effects can be raised at school level.

The Teaching Council, the State's regulatory body for the teaching profession, sets out clear standards for entry to the profession, including standards of practice that relate to the personal well-being and development of students. The teacher's role in the holistic development of all students is clearly threaded throughout the council's code of professional conduct for teachers. Initial teacher education plays a major role in training teachers and ensuring they are aware of the developmental and emotional needs of their students. As part of their lifelong journey, teachers engage in ongoing professional development and this will become a statutory requirement in the near future. Continuing professional development helps to ensure teachers are aware of current research and best practice in working with young people.

The Teaching Council will work out the detailed requirements in relation to continuing professional development in due course.

As the Deputy may also be aware, the Department currently funds the social, personal and health education programme which provides support for post-primary schools, including training courses on positive strategies for managing bullying issues. Schools are also supported in the review of their anti-bullying policies and practices. There is active collaboration between the Departments of Health and Education and Skills to ensure schools and teachers are supported in their work. I expect that the two Departments will shortly publish guidelines for post-primary schools on the development of a whole-school approach to mental health promotion and suicide prevention. Implementation of the guidelines will be co-ordinated by HSE health promotion officers and the social, personal and health education support service partnership, with the support of the National Educational Psychological Service. Many schools have signed up to the Department of Health's health promoting school initiative which supports the ongoing development and growth of young people and thereby feeds into the preventive approach to bullying in schools. It should be noted that schools and teachers are not alone in tackling the complex and sensitive issue of suicide prevention. Other services and agencies have key roles. Therefore, collaboration is important.

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