Schools need mental health support from care professionals

Schools should have ready access to local agencies in cases where students have mental health issues they can not deal with, according to new guidelines on mental health and suicide prevention.

The first such support for second-level schools is being launched this morning, two days after an action plan on bullying which sets out new procedures for all schools on dealing with the issue.

The guidelines from the Department of Education’s National Educational Psychological Service and the HSE’s National Office for Suicide Prevention set out how schools should cater for the wider school community on awareness of mental health, as well as those with mild or more severe problems that need the intervention of health professionals.