Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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96. To ask the Minister for Social Protection her plans to make suicide awareness-prevention training available to frontline staff in social welfare offices who deal with very distressed members of the public on a daily basis. [11223/14]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The Department recognises the need for training in the area of suicide awareness for frontline staff and has put a number of supports in place to assist them in supporting customers who identify themselves as having thoughts of suicide.

In 2013, with assistance from the National Office for Suicide Prevention (NOSP), the Department provided ‘Safetalk’ training to 282 frontline staff. This programme helps prepare participants to identify persons with thoughts of suicide and connect them to suicide first aid resources. The Safetalk programme will continue to be rolled out throughout the Department during 2014.

NOSP has also provided Departmental staff who have completed Safetalk training with access to the more advanced ASIST (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills) training workshop. This two-day workshop equips participants to reduce the immediate risk of a suicide and increase the support for a person at risk.

Since 2010, Mental Health Ireland has assisted in the delivery of a one-day training course to staff in the Department to raise awareness of mental health issues. To date, 490 staff have received this training. Local mental health support organisations, such as AWARE, have also been invited to talk to staff where a need is identified.