A programme aimed at providing professional support to secondary school students in Hong Kong who are at a high risk of suicide will be made permanent, with a trial extension to include Primary Four to Six students for early identification and intervention, as announced by the city’s leader.
Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu revealed on Wednesday that the Three-Tier School-based Emergency Mechanism for secondary schools will be established as a regular initiative starting this academic year.
He noted that upper primary students will also benefit from the suicide prevention programme, as outlined in his fourth policy address.
The government initiated this scheme in late 2023, and it was revamped in November of the following year.
Between November 2024 and this past June, the Hospital Authority received more than 100 referrals from principals, of which 60 per cent were categorised as semi-urgent while less than 10 per cent were urgent cases.
The Social Welfare Department handled 243 referrals from schools to non-governmental organisations during the same period.
A government source said the mechanism was extended to upper primary school students after authorities observed more younger children developing suicidal tendencies in recent years.
In the first eight months of this year, the Education Bureau recorded 23 suspected suicide cases among students, another government source revealed. Twenty-eight deaths were recorded last year and 32 in 2023.
Under the first tier of the mechanism, schools prioritise helping students at higher risk of suicide by seeking professional counselling or treatment services for them.
If schools are short on staff, education authorities then refer cases to an off-campus support network team organised by the department under the second tier.
The final tier involves principals referring students with severe mental health needs to the psychiatric specialist services of the Hospital Authority. Students with urgent cases are given priority treatment.
Secondary school principal Chu Kwok-keung said the new measure would provide greater support for students in need.
“The truth is, the pressure and mental health issues faced by upper primary students are no less significant than those faced by junior high students, and we have seen suicide cases among primary school students in the past,” he said.
“Including upper primary students in this mechanism will help us intervene and provide support earlier, potentially preventing tragedies.”
Chu, who is also a lawmaker for the education sector, added that the overall counselling capabilities in schools were limited and urged the government to make dedicated counsellors who provide emotional support a permanent part of staff.
“In addition, frontline teachers should receive more training on counselling skills to provide professional support to students in need, helping them build positive beliefs and values,” he said.
Kalina Tsang Ka-wai, CEO of Save the Children Hong Kong, said her NGO welcomed the measure and stressed that mental health was one of the most pressing challenges facing children in Hong Kong today.
Tsang said the government could go further by incorporating social and emotional learning and child-centred mental health first aid into the curriculum to strengthen the effectiveness of the emergency response mechanism.
Other measures announced in Lee’s policy address targeting mental health include a “special recognition category” next year to commend schools and organisations that arrange for a specific number of staff to receive mental health training.
The government will also expand its Healthy Mind Pilot Project to cover six more District Health Centres next year to provide free mental health assessments, in addition to the current three centres, Lee said.
He added that social media had a profound impact on the mental health of young people and the Department of Health would update guidelines to mitigate its adverse effects on them.
Social workers in schools would receive enhanced training to handle pupils’ mental health issues through the Dedicated Fund for welfare services, a HK$500 million sum for non-governmental organisations, Lee announced in his 2023 policy address.
The government will also launch a pilot programme to train people “of all ages and from all walks of life” to promote healthy lifestyles, foster resilience and establish care support networks.
He noted certain tertiary institutions had already made basic mental health programmes a compulsory subject for first-year students and had encouraged more schools to follow suit.
If you have suicidal thoughts or know someone who is experiencing them, help is available. In Hong Kong, you can dial 18111 for the government-run Mental Health Support Hotline.
You can also call +852 2896 0000 for The Samaritans or +852 2382 0000 for Suicide Prevention Services. In the US, call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org for the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. For a list of other nations’ helplines, see this page.
