Joan Freeman (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I fully support Senator Gallagher on introducing this Bill and commend him, first, on drawing attention to the fact that health and mental health are usually seen as separate entities. It is wonderful that he sees this as the holistic approach to all health, whether it be physical or mental health. Second, it makes sense that existing and new teachers are thought the basic skills of how to look out for the signs and symptoms of difficulties with children's physical and mental health. People work with each other for at least eight hours a day and many people would say that they spend more hours with their colleagues than they do with their families. It is same for children. They spend more time in the school environment than they do with their families. Many children come home from school, go straight to their rooms and enter the social media world. It is important for those precious hours that children are in a school environment that they are allowed to have access to teachers who can spot the signs of difficulties that they may be going through.

A colleague mentioned the development of anxiety in children. Anxiety is one of the greatest problems that face our children. To give a simple example of where physical and mental health are joined together, we all know about social media and that children are glued to their phones for hours but some Members may not know that the average 15 year old needs nine hours sleep a night. How can they get that when they are on their phones? Sleep deprivation causes severe anxiety. This is why this proposal is very important.

I wish to comment on a remark made by Senator Colm Burke to the effect that this proposal should not be provided for in legislation. I totally disagree. I believe it should be. The concern may be that teachers have so much to do that they believe they will be overwhelmed by even more tasks. If this proposal was brought in during training such that it would be part of their curriculum, they would see what is proposed here as being normal when they go into the school environment. While many schools, teachers and principals are trying to adapt to the social media world; the reality is they cannot keep up with it. That is why I agree with the Senator that existing teachers should be thought these basic skills.

The Senator also mentioned the fact that we should consider the legal aspects. We have to stop doing that. We are talking about children. The fact that a teacher might identify some issues with a child does not mean that they have to become their immediate counsellor. All this Bill should be asking is for them to be a link to that child, identify the symptoms of what is happening with that child and then connect them to a professional. I do not know if that is specifically what the Senator was saying. We should not start talking about the legal or financial aspects of this proposal. For once let us put the child to the fore and stop making a mountain out of a molehill. This is a sensible, simplistic Bill that should be supported.