Northern Ireland’s education minister John O’Dowd was speaking during a visit to the Public Initiative for the Prevention of Suicide and Self-harm charity in north Belfast.
The minister wanted to see the organisation’s work and in particular its educational training programmes.
Between 2008 and 2012, a total of 112 young people aged under-19 died by suicide in Northern Ireland. The Department of Education has taken numerous steps to ensure teenagers have easy access to the information and support they might need during difficult times.
More than £2 million per year is invested in a dedicated independent counselling service for secondary schools. This makes available qualified counsellors to all post-primary pupils across the North.
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