Pat Buckley (Cork East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank Members for letting me speak on this and congratulate members of the committee on this report on an important subject, positive mental health in schools. The core principle of addressing mental health at a school level is early intervention. Early intervention is often talked about as some quite prescriptive model which needs to be implemented in a service and that is part of it but the idea that prevention is better than cure is fundamental. The principle is all the more important when it relates to children. Not only do we seek to intervene early in the development of problems but early in the entire life of the child to best avoid even some of those problems developing at all. It has never been a more stressful and confusing time to be a young person. Every year it seems children are under more pressure with regard to their academic and social life. These pressures are in many cases more heightened and constant versions of the kind of stressors my generation experienced but also new and emerging issues which we cannot yet know fully the consequences of. We need to intervene early not just to address mental ill health but to foster mental wellness.

I recently spoke to a young lady in Mayfield and asked about mental health in schools. She told me nervously but in her own words, which I will not repeat here but they were strong and I will instead give the politically correct version, that 15 minutes mental health a week was not enough in schools. She was right. Mental health should not be a 15 minute class discussion but actually woven into the entire concept of schooling and the culture and atmosphere of all schools. Everything a school does must have the mental health of its students and its staff at its centre.

Instead of being a challenge to the mental health of young people, school should be a source of strength. In both a direct and indirect way, as young people learn mathematics, English and Irish, we must teach them the foundations of resilience, mindfulness, emotional awareness, and respect for all other people in their lives. If we can create that kind of environment we are not only intervening early but building a society in which we can protect and foster mental health in our lives, communities, workplaces and everywhere else.

I welcome the green flag initiative that is getting young people to talk in schools. It is giving them a sense of ownership and pride. I commend all those involved in the programme. We are all aware of safeTALK. We must address mental well-being in the education spectrum on an age-appropriate basis. I congratulate all those involved in the report. It provides a foundation for educating young people and giving them the coping skills to deal with problems and challenges as they go through life. I commend the report and congratulate the committee members responsible for it.

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