Ned O'Sullivan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I formally second the motion. I commend all of my colleagues, particularly Senators Gallagher, Wilson and Swanick, on putting this Bill together. It will have appeal across the floor of the House. I hope the Minister will be able to give a positive response.

For the sake of clarification, I would like to reiterate what my colleague has said about the hybrid nature of this legislation. The First Aid and Mental Health in Schools (Initial Teacher Training) Bill 2018 proposes that teacher training must incorporate occupational first aid and mental health first aid. It provides that in order to secure a job, a teacher will have to show that he or she has completed training in occupational first aid and mental health first aid. The First Aid and Mental Health in Schools (Existing Teachers) Bill 2018 proposes that all existing staff in schools be required to receive training in occupational first aid and mental health first aid. It is based on the idea that training in occupational first aid and mental health first aid should form part of the continuing professional development of school staff. It provides for the approval of courses in first aid response and mental health first aid. It requires schools to devise a first aid policy and to put in place a first aid box. Under this legislation, a serving teacher will be required to prove within two years of the coming into operation of this Bill that he or she has completed a training course in occupational first aid and mental health first aid.

Everybody here and all right-minded people will agree that this proposal is a no-brainer. It is something that will be good. To a certain extent, it probably underlines in an informal way what is already going on in schools. I worked as a teacher for 18 years at primary and secondary levels. I remember that as a young fellow going to school, I had a classmate who suffered from epilepsy. I do not think the level of medication that is available now was available in the 1950s. I recall that one teacher not only read up on the subject to brief himself on how to deal with it, but also trained a number of school lads - myself and some of my colleagues - in how to respond if our unfortunate friend got an epileptic attack. That was very forward thinking at the time. I must say that in my time in teaching, I found that teachers to be very caring. A teacher will always try to know as much as he or she can about any student who has a particular allergy. If a student has coeliac disease, the teacher will always look out for him or her. At the same time, teachers are not doctors or psychiatrists. The more formal education and learning that is available for teachers, both in training and in service, as dealt with in the second Bill, the better.

Although teachers cannot be psychiatrists, as I have said, we must bear in mind that we live in an age when young people, especially at secondary level, are coming into contact at frighteningly young ages with substances which can lead to addiction. I know a little bit about addiction from personal experience. The earlier there is observation and the earlier there is intervention, the better one is able to deal with a person's weakness for drugs, alcohol or whatever he or she might be doing. A great deal of training is required in observation alone. That is why this Bill will be very helpful. I am not anticipating how these courses will be run, but I presume they will deal with addiction and addiction awareness. I expect they will show teachers how to observe and initially deal with this sensitive area. A ham-fisted, unprofessional or untrained approach might do more harm than good.

Overall, Senator Gallagher's legislation will be a very important step forward educationally. It will be certainly be welcomed by teachers. Teachers always want to have the best information and the best training available to them, regardless of whether this is provided in their initial training programmes or as part of in-service courses thereafter. This measure will be warmly welcomed by parents. Teachers act in loco parentis. They have a significant responsibility. Parents place great trust in those who teach their children. Parents will feel even more secure and comfortable if they know that those who teach their children have the skills and training necessary to deal with any untoward event or any tendency towards addiction that might exist, especially in second level.

I taught here in Dublin for several years, in a De La Salle school in Ballyfermot. It was a great school with great people, great students and great parents. In the summer months, it was a regular occurrence that one of these robust young people would have to get a few stitches. One's initial reaction would be to throw the child in the car and bring him or her down to Dr. Steevens' Hospital, which thankfully was just down the road.That was the extent of the knowledge we had and, thankfully, we got away with it. This is the way forward and I commend the Bill.