So now we have to be suicide counsellors

happywithlife

Ashlynn Tiny Freighter wrote: »

Is there evidence that lots of suicidal school children are going under the radar? I have to say that's the complete opposite of my experience. I have found that they are being identified left right and centre but there's nowhere to send them once they are identified. Unfortunately I have had many experiences of suicide in my life including a few in school and in every case involving teens they had been trying to get help for years but very little was available. Sure, I think the course is good for anyone who may find themselves dealing with a suicidal person but I think it will have zero impact on reducing suicides in teens and given the lack of funding it's either a foolish move or a cynical PR exercise.

+1

listermint

Ashlynn Tiny Freighter wrote: »

Is there evidence that lots of suicidal school children are going under the radar? I have to say that's the complete opposite of my experience. I have found that they are being identified left right and centre but there's nowhere to send them once they are identified. Unfortunately I have had many experiences of suicide in my life including a few in school and in every case involving teens they had been trying to get help for years but very little was available. Sure, I think the course is good for anyone who may find themselves dealing with a suicidal person but I think it will have zero impact on reducing suicides in teens and given the lack of funding it's either a foolish move or a cynical PR exercise.

enough said. (underlined)

as pointed to many times you all seem to think its mutually exclusive it is part of an over all picture that is needed to be implemented.

but sure look we should all just give out our own individual little pieces and do nothing at all.

Progress....

r93kaey5p2izun

listermint wrote: »

enough said. (underlined)

as pointed to many times you all seem to think its mutually exclusive it is part of an over all picture that is needed to be implemented.

but sure look we should all just give out our own individual little pieces and do nothing at all.

Progress....

Nobody thinks it's mutually exclusive. But unfortunately the funding is limited and needs to be directed to the most urgent priority areas. This is not one of them in my opinion as someone who has dealt with suicidal students and who has done the course. This is not being done in conjunction with improved services. As the link above shows it is happening while much more important supports are being removed.

irishgrover

happywithlife wrote: »

I've done 2 first aid courses. Last one was specific paeds and the guy doing it was adamant in his answer to this question that we do not have the same "good Samaritan " laws as say the U.S. and we could not be prosecuted and he was very firm in saying you do a) what you're comfortable with and b) never more than you're trained to do.

obviously different countries, different laws, but we do have the Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2011 (which is often refered to the good smaritans law) and which does explicitly protect people in said situations.

keoclassic

listermint wrote: »

Which would be the point of the training.

No one is expecting you to be a councillor.

Christ lads its not mutual exclusive i said that in the post. You dont solve problems by doing 1 thing, its collective small changes that make a large change.

This really isnt that hard to grasp.

I grasp what your saying, and if you cant see that I'm somewhat in agreement with you, then you misunderstand my post. But does a teacher need to be trained, and would they like to be put into somewhat of an accountable position........I think not. You seem to miss the point that teachers may only have contact with pupils for a total of 4 periods a week.As one other poster has stated, its parents and close family that are in the best position to assess the well being of their child/family member. There is already, or at least there used to be, a child protection officer/designated liaison person in a school for whom a teacher may contact should they have a concern for a pupils well-being, is this in your opinion not enough. Why are you trying to put teachers into a more accountable position in matters of life and death, for crying out loud, they became teachers to educate, if one was to try and assess the well-being of every student in front of you, then the only person that would need counseling is the Teacher!!! Most teachers from what i can remember that pushed this line of accountability were generally not thinking of the students welfare and more thinking of how it made them look in the eyes of parents and management. Its so much easier to tell others to be aware than for one to be aware themselves.

In summary, by all means train teachers but in no means is any accountability to placed on them in such circumstances.

listermint

keoclassic wrote: »

I grasp what your saying, and if you cant see that I'm somewhat in agreement with you, then you misunderstand my post. But does a teacher need to be trained, and would they like to be put into somewhat of an accountable position........I think not. You seem to miss the point that teachers may only have contact with pupils for a total of 4 periods a week.As one other poster has stated, its parents and close family that are in the best position to assess the well being of their child/family member. There is already, or at least there used to be, a child protection officer/designated liaison person in a school for whom a teacher may contact should they have a concern for a pupils well-being, is this in your opinion not enough. Why are you trying to put teachers into a more accountable position in matters of life and death, for crying out loud, they became teachers to educate, if one was to try and assess the well-being of every student in front of you, then the only person that would need counseling is the Teacher!!! Most teachers from what i can remember that pushed this line of accountability were generally not thinking of the students welfare and more thinking of how it made them look in the eyes of parents and management. Its so much easier to tell others to be aware than for one to be aware themselves.

In summary, by all means train teachers but in no means is any accountability to placed on them in such circumstances.

Its your opinion,

and tbh no offence a public sector wide view that if you are trained in something i.e to get a new skillset then all of a sudden that makes you accountable.

That is simply not the case in any other sector. Training is knowledge and an additional skill.

it doesnt make you a Doctor , your not suddenly a signed up councillor. Can you give examples of where you received some training in relation to your teaching role and this all of a sudden made you entirely responsible for that function.

This isnt the reality its more of the same 'its not my job' fear mongering that goes on. Very persuasive inside civil organisations.

keoclassic

It's my opinion, your right. But I am afraid to say that I disagree with yours. No offence taken, at this stage by the way, I have worked just as long in the private sector and the public, and to be honest, things aren't much different in either!!

evolving_doors

I think ill reserve opinion until I've done the course. Has anyone here done it?

I can see why teachers would have reservations though given the nature of some of these 1 day inservices.

But I'd echo the statement above that we have umpteen students 'on watch' in our schools and parents at their wits end looking for support.

I'll be keeping an ear out for when the minister starts highlighting this initiative as a panacea... and I'm sure he'll lump it in with the wellbeing too.

TheDriver

It will be interesting. In discussion with colleagues in senior management in other schools, the thoughts of how to deal with suicide including news from outside school and indeed within school has been contemplated. Very disturbing but its part of the critical incidents we can be faced with. But courses are all well and good but it's reality that's far reaching. If there's one thing that grates on my experience, it's sitting in front rooms of houses with a coffin and parents looking for answers about our past or present students. A part of the job I prefer to forget until I must face it.

byhookorbycrook

Training teachers tends to be done over a few days and then , bingo , you are “ qualified “ to solve all ills .
I’d prefer money to go into early intervention programmes and meaningful access to proper mental health services from primary up.

deiseindublin

My reading is that it will only be offered to two staff members in each school.

Mardy Bum

I think there is an innumerable amount of areas we could be trained in however time and resources are finite and therefore we must prioritise the most important areas for the profession.

I believe the most vital area is subject knowledge. This is the most important thing for any teacher however it is ignored by the department who thing generic teaching methods will be useful regardless of a teacher's inability to ask probing questions on topics.