SUICIDE prevention could be included as part of a new Personal, Social, Health and Economic curriculum in schools, the Children’s and Education Minister has confirmed.
Deputy Inna Gardiner said that research into how it could be delivered was needed first due to the sensitivity of the subject.
Earlier this month, Rob Mason – the father of 14-year-old Kezia Mason, who took her own life in March – called for suicide prevention to be included in the secondary school curriculum.
Mr Mason made the call after taking part in the last leg of the Three Dads Walking Challenge, which saw Andy Airey, Mike Palmer and Tim Owen – who have all lost a child to suicide – walk to each of the UK’s parliaments. They raised over £1 million for charity and handed a petition to Westminster politicians that was signed by 100,000 people.
During a Children, Education and Home Affairs Scrutiny Panel hearing held yesterday, Deputy Gardiner said: ‘We are going to research how we deliver suicide prevention. We need to speak about it but the question is how are we going to do it? We need to train staff appropriately, we will need to make risk assessments for delivering it and create support for after the sessions.
‘It is a very important subject but we need the right support in place to follow up the sessions and to create a full package on the topic. Work is currently in progress and it could be incorporated.’
Deputy Gardiner said she would also like to engage with external organisations who could work to deliver workshops on specific subjects during PSHE lessons when a teacher might not be best placed to do so.
She added: ‘It is important PSHE lessons stay like that and are not replaced by others, because we know it is different across each school but we need to make sure there is a standard which everyone must adhere to.’
Earlier this year members of the Jersey Youth Parliament called for an updated PSHE curriculum to include more relevant life skills such as self-defence, budgeting, stress management and more comprehensive sex and relationship education.
