School Guidance on Suicide

Part of 1. Questions to the Minister for Education – in the Senedd at 1:59 pm on 13 March 2019.

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Photo of Kirsty Williams Kirsty Williams Liberal Democrat 1:59, 13 March 2019

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.