Clare Daly (Dublin North, Socialist Party)
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222. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the way a suicide awareness programme for teenagers Bring Me Back Alive play could be taken to every school in the country. [25039/13]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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I am aware of the serious problem of youth suicide and of the role that schools can play in prevention . My Department produced guidelines for schools in this area last year. Well-Being in Post-Primary Schools: Guidelines for Mental Health Promotion and Suicide Prevention, which I launched jointly with Minister Kathleen Lynch in January 2013, was developed by my Department in conjunction with the Department of Health and the Health Service Executive. The guidelines are informed by consultation with key Education and Health partners and by the findings of current research. They provide practical guidance to post-primary schools on how they can promote mental health and well-being in an integrated school-wide way and they also provide evidence-based advice on how to support young people who may be at risk of suicidal behaviour.

The Guidelines build on the significant work already taking place in schools, including through the Social, Personal and Health Education (SPHE) curriculum, the whole-school guidance plan, the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) continuum of support model and the HSE, Health Promoting Schools Process. Information is also provided on how to access support from the SPHE Support Service and other external agencies and support services. In addition, in the new Framework for Junior Cycle which I launched in October, "Wellbeing" is one of the 8 principles which underpin the Framework. Through a student's experience in Junior Cycle, I want the student to be able to take actions to safeguard and promote his/ her well - being and that of others.

The Bring Me Back Alive Play is one of a range of external resources and initiatives that are available to assist schools in implementing various aspects of the curriculum. Unfortunately my Department is not in a position to endorse individual initiatives, and it is a matter for individual schools to determine which of these resources they choose to access. My Department's advice is that schools in the first instance should implement the Well-Being in Post-Primary Schools document effectively and when considering collaborating with external agencies in doing work in the area of mental health promotion, schools should be cognisant of Appendix 3a (DES, Circular 0023/2010) and 3b which provide advice on best practice for Social Personal and Health Education. The following is a link to the Guidelines document: http://www.education.ie/en/Publications/Education-Reports/Well_Being_PP_Schools_Guidelines.pdf.