Taken from the BBC: The Ulster Teachers’ Union is calling for more suicide awareness training for teachers.
The lack of such training is one of the issues up for discussion at the union’s annual conference. Spokeswoman Jacquie Reid said suicide is now the biggest cause of death among young people in Northern Ireland.
“These young people are in our classrooms, and we are missing something. We are not picking up the signs. Early intervention is key and we must know what we are looking for in order to pass these concerns on to someone else.”
This is an area that I am actively involved in and want to stress that teachers are equally likely to need support when distressed about school or home issues. Support is available 24hours a day by phone or email in the UK from Samaritans.
