Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)
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222. To ask the Minister for Health his response to the recently published report by the European Child Safety Alliance entitled the National Action to Address Child Intentional Injury 2014; what are European countries doing to prevent intentional injury to children; and when his Department intends to develop a national strategy on suicide and or self-directed injury prevention. [14608/14]

Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
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The recently published Report referred to by the Deputy is currently being considered in the Department of Health. This Report examines the policy measures in place to address intentional injury to children by describing the adoption, implementation and enforcement on national level policies addressing intentional injury prevention in over 25 Member States.

In Ireland, Government policy on deliberate self-harm and suicide prevention is guided by our national strategy Reach Out which makes a number of recommendations in relation to fast track referrals to community-based mental health services, effective response to deliberate self-harm, training, reducing stigma and promoting positive mental health, initiatives aimed at helping young men and research. The HSE’s National Office for Suicide Prevention (NOSP) has primary responsibility for the implementation of Reach Out.

In 2014, my Department and the HSE have committed to developing a new strategic framework for suicide prevention, building on the comprehensive work delivered under the current strategy. The framework will present the key priorities to be addressed in the years 2015 - 2018 and will guide and be supported by robust implementation plans which will specify agreed deliverables, outcomes, and resource implications, lines of accountability and governance structures.

The aim of the new strategy will be to support population health approaches and interventions that will assist in reducing the loss of life through suicide. This renewed focus will provide for improved coordination and integration of services to ensure that pathways of care for persons at risk of suicide or in suicidal crisis can be accessible, acceptable and available. The new framework, which is expected to be published in late 2014, will build upon and learn from the experience of implementing Reach Out, which continue to be relevant, and give a more short to medium-term focus to implementation. The recommendations from the National Action to Address Child Intentional Injury 2014 Report will also be considered in the context of the development of the new framework.

I would like to assure the Deputy that dealing with the current high levels of suicide and deliberate self harm is a priority for this Government, and this is reflected in the significant investment in suicide prevention and mental health services generally in recent years.