2. Will the Minister provide an update on the guidance which is going to be issued to schools in April on talking about suicide? OAQ53576

Thank you very much, Lynne. The national advisory group on suicide and self-harm is consulting group members and other stakeholders on that guidance prior to its publication in April. We will work with the group to ensure that the guidance is promoted extensively amongst professionals, and that is professionals not just in schools but more widely amongst youth services and other people who work with our young people.

Thank you, Minister. I really welcome the fact that the guidance recommended by 'Mind over matter' is due for publication in April. I also welcome your commitment to work with the advisory group to ensure the guidance is promoted extensively. However, as you know, for many teachers, for understandable reasons, they are reluctant to talk about suicide. It is therefore crucial not just that the Welsh Government works with the advisory group to promote the guidance but that the Welsh Government proactively leads on ensuring that this guidance is used in all schools in Wales.

Several schoolchildren have died by suicide in Wales since 'Mind over matter' was published, and action on this is urgent. It cannot wait until the new curriculum and a whole-school approach to mental health is implemented in Wales. Will the Minister therefore commit to proactively leading on this with a view to ensuring that it is urgently rolled out in all schools, including ensuring it is incorporated into professional learning for teachers as a matter of urgency, so that they have the skills and confidence to use it?

Thank you very much, Lynne. Let me assure you, we're not sitting back and simply waiting for the implementation of the new curriculum, although the health and well-being area of learning and experience does give us a profound opportunity to change the way in which we talk about health and well-being in our schools. You'll be aware that £2.5 million is being made available in the new financial year, through the education budget, targeted at improving mental health services for young people, informed by youth work pedagogical approaches. Because those professionals working with our youth service often feel sometimes more comfortable and more able and more confident about talking about these very sensitive issues, and we want to use the learning from our youth-work colleagues actually to help inform the professional learning of our school-based colleagues. I can assure you that only yesterday I had a discussion with the official that is leading on professional learning to impress upon him that schools should be able to access professional learning opportunities around this guidance, and health and well-being overall, as part of the funding that we're making available to schools to support improved teacher confidence in this area, which can be really, really challenging for many people to talk about, not least teachers in our schools. 

Minister, I'm sure you'll want to join me in commending the work the Assembly has done in this area, particularly under the leadership of Lynne Neagle in 'Mind over matter', but also Dai Lloyd in the health committee. The simple message is: far, far too many people die as a result of suicide. It's hundreds a year in Wales. We must set targets to radically reduce the number of people who tragically die in those circumstances. Unfortunately, in terms of younger people, it is a major cause of premature death. It needs joint working across Government. I do also commend the work that Samaritans Cymru have done, again emphasising the need to train teachers so that they do have that level of confidence, at least, to address these very important issues. The skills we get at school, 10 or 20 years later—that can be the difference between someone seeking help and unfortunately completing suicide. 

Thank you, David. I think it is absolutely right that we recognise the campaigning work that has been done by colleagues, such as Dai Lloyd, Lynne Neagle and Jack Sargeant, on these issues. I can assure you that we are discussing with our initial teacher education providers to ensure that, through initial teacher education, our future practitioners will have the appropriate skills. I was hugely encouraged by the recent vote here of the Youth Parliament, which as their top priority have voted to look to work on the issue of young people's mental health. It demonstrates how important this issue is to them, and across the country I know that young people and youth groups are working really, really hard to address the issue of resilience.

Presiding Officer, on Sunday morning, I was at the Hafren theatre in Newtown watching the YFC Wales's drama festival, and the winning club from Carmarthenshire, the YFC club of Llandovery, put on an incredibly sophisticated and moving entertainment on the subject of suicide in rural areas. And to see young people, aged 10 to 26, engaging in such a sophisticated way to spread these messages is something that would put some older people to shame.