New book outlines available Mental Health Supports to young Cork people

A new publication outlining the range of mental health supports available to young people in Cork was launched by Lord Mayor Cllr Mick Finn today (Tuesday February 5th).

The Youth Mental Health Resource booklet is a Connecting for Life Cork project. Connecting for Life Cork is the suicide and self-harm reduction plan for the city and county.

Lord Mayor Cllr Mick Finn launched the booklet at City Hall and said the booklet, along with other resources produced by various youth organisations, is part of an ongoing effort to alert young people to the supports that are available to them.

“I encourage all youth groups and organisation, as well as all secondary schools in the city and county, to ensure this information gets to its target population,” he said.

The booklet was produced by Cork Kerry Community Healthcare Resource Officer for Suicide Prevention Martin Ryan together with partners across the community and voluntary sector. It is based on information gathered by Kinsale Youth Support Services (KYSS), and features details of services across the city and county which support young people and families.

The booklet is targeted at young people aged 15 years and over, and its aim is to provide information that is accessible, clear and youth friendly.

Resource Officer for Suicide Prevention Martin Ryan thanked all those involved in the project, particularly KYSS for sharing the information that service had already worked gathered.

“I would like to thank the many services and organisations who contributed to the development of this booklet. This underpins the collaborative approach to suicide prevention in Cork which has grown in recent years. Throughout the development of the booklet many services and groups have been asked to review the content and approach, including our own Drug and Alcohol services, Jigsaw, the Cork Life Centre,reachout.com and many others,” Martin Ryan said.

Head of Mental Health Services for Cork and Kerry Sinead Glennon attended today’s launch, and thanked the many people, in the HSE and in voluntary organisations, who contributed to the booklet.

“Connecting for Life Cork is a cross-community plan which recognises that suicide reduction is everyone’s business. That cross-community approach was very evident in the development of this valuable resource, which Cork Kerry Community Healthcare was delighted to spearhead and fund,” she said.

Martin Ryan added that when working with schools, teachers and parents I am often asked what services are available for young people.

“This booklet brings together that information in a format that is accessible to all. We hope that the booklet will also be useful resource for adults and those working with young people in their everyday work,” he said.

The booklet will be distributed through the NEPS service, local youth organisations, schools and local networks.

To get a copy of the booklet, contact Martin Ryan on martin.ryan8@hse.ie

This is an initiative of Cork Connecting for Life, see www.connectingforlifecork.ie for more details.