Colm Keaveney (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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186. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills is she satisfied that primary and second level teachers receive adequate training on young persons' mental health; if not, her plans to improve it; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9399/15]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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The Teaching Council, the State's regulatory body for the teaching profession, sets out clear standards for entry to the profession including standards of practice that relate to the personal well-being and development of students. The teacher's role in the holistic development of all students is clearly threaded throughout the Council's Code of Professional Conduct for Teachers. Initial teacher education providers aim to prepare teachers for all aspects of students' education, including students' holistic development. Course curriculum in the colleges of education and the education department of universities include studies that underpin the student teachers' understanding of the broader emotional, environmental and temporal contexts that affect the students in their charge. Prospective teachers are made aware of their responsibilities in relation to children's well-being - physical, mental and emotional - and to their roles and responsibilities regarding the appropriate and timely referral of children to external support agencies.

The Deputy may be aware that I and my colleague, Minister of State Kathleen Lynch, launched "Well-being in primary schools - Guidelines for Mental Health Promotion" on 29th January 2015. The 'Well-Being in Post-Primary Schools: Guidelines for Mental Health Promotion and Suicide Prevention' were published by my Department in 2013. Both guidelines provide practical guidance to schools on how they can promote mental health and well-being in an integrated whole school way. The Guidelines build on the significant work already taking place in schools, including the Social, Personal and Health Education (SPHE) curriculum, the whole-school guidance plan, and the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) continuum of support model.

Support is available to all schools from the Professional Development Service for Teachers (PDST), the HSE, Health Promotion Officers and other external agencies and support services. The PDST provide a range of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) supports for teachers at primary and post primary level including anti-bullying seminars on awareness raising, intervention and prevention, child protection seminars and school support in SPHE and related areas. In addition, CPD is available specifically to post primary teachers of SPHE in promoting positive mental health and well-being, mental health issues affecting Young People and Internet Safety and Cyber Bullying.

The new Framework for Junior Cycle also places a clear emphasis on overall student health and well-being. This Framework is underpinned by eight principles, one of which is "Well-being". It also has eight key skills which are to be embedded in every new Junior Cycle subject and short course including the key skills of "Managing Myself" and "Staying Well". In addition, the 24 'Statements of Learning' that a student should experience during their Junior Cycle programme involve the student taking action to safeguard and promote their own well-being and that of others. The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) has developed a new short course in SPHE which includes strands such as "Minding Myself and Others" and "My Mental Health", and deals with issues such as mental health and mental ill-health, dealing with tough times, loss and bereavement.

My Department is also working with the Department of Health to promote participation by primary and post-primary schools in the 'Health Promoting Schools' initiative. This European-wide programme aims to strengthen schools' capacity to be a healthy setting for learning and working by focusing at whole-school level on all the conditions that affect health and well-being.