Helping Students with Suicide Ideations and Attempts
Ministry of EducationSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns the protocols for supporting students with suicide ideations or attempts, as raised by Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang. Minister Chan Chun Sing stated that schools use trained teachers and peer support to identify distressed students for School Counsellor intervention. Counsellors conduct risk assessments and engage parents, while severe cases are escalated to REACH teams or hospital emergency services. Schools maintain continuous monitoring by collaborating with caregivers and healthcare institutions to ensure student safety and provide further mental health support. These measures facilitate early identification, urgent intervention, and sustained collaborative monitoring to manage student well-being effectively.
Transcript
72 Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang asked the Minister for Education (a) what are the step-by-step actions taken to help students who have (i) suicide ideations and (ii) attempted suicide respectively; (b) what is the process for escalating severe cases; and (c) what are the actions taken to continuously monitor such cases.
Mr Chan Chun Sing: Schools have established processes to help students at risk of self-harm or suicide. Teachers are trained to identify students experiencing distress and to provide timely support and guidance. Dedicated time has been set aside for teachers to check in regularly on their students’ well-being. Schools also have a system of peer support to enable students to highlight distressed peers to teachers. Students struggling with socio-emotional or mental health issues are referred to the School Counsellor.
School Counsellors are trained to conduct a suicide risk assessment and to bring in parental and other support for the students' safety. They will address possible underlying issues and guide the students to develop effective coping strategies. Students with suicide risk will be referred urgently to the Response, Early intervention and Assessment in Community mental Health (REACH) teams or emergency services in hospitals for further intervention.
Schools monitor these students closely and work directly with parents and caregivers to keep track of their mental health state, assess potential risks and adjust support as needed. Together with the healthcare institutions, schools work with parents to ensure there is adequate safety and support, including to help students access further mental health support when needed.