In view of recent student suicide cases, the Government said it is implementing the Three-Tier School-based Emergency Mechanism from today until January 2024 in all secondary schools across the city.

The COVID-19 epidemic in the past few years had caused an unprecedented impact on the mental health of citizens, and there was no exception with students, the Government said, noting that students faced greater adjustment challenges following the full resumption to normalcy.

In view of the recent upward trend of student suicide cases, the Government launched the mechanism, through collaboration of the Health Bureau, the Education Bureau (EDB) and the Social Welfare Department, to help schools identify students with a higher suicide risk early and provide them with appropriate support as quickly as possible.

The first tier of the emergency mechanism is to assist schools to identify students at an early stage with a higher suicide risk or mental health needs, with an aim of giving them priority for timely and appropriate intervention.

Specifically, schools should review the mental health needs of students with the schools’ multidisciplinary team, give priority to caring for and counselling students at higher risk of suicide, then provide timely assistance and seek professional counselling or treatment for them.

The second tier is to form an off-campus support network through cross-departmental, cross-professional and cross-sectoral co-operation to enhance external support for schools in the short-term.

If schools have difficulty deploying manpower to meet students’ needs, the EDB will assist in referring the cases to the off-campus support network team, which is co-ordinated by the Social Welfare Department, for follow-up. Afterwards, the off-campus team will contact the students concerned and arrange follow-up services, including emergency intervention services covering assessments, support and counselling. It will also refer the students to other services according to individual needs.

For the third tier, school principals can refer students with severe mental health needs to the Hospital Authority’s psychiatric specialist services. After triage and screening, urgent cases will be accorded priority. In addition, the authority has set up a telephone consultation hotline for school principals to provide them with professional advice.

The EDB has issued a circular letter to all secondary schools detailing the mechanism’s details. The Government will monitor the operation of the mechanism closely.

Separately, to strengthen parents’ support for their children, the EDB will co-organise a seminar for parents on December 9 with the Committee on Home-School Co-operation, Federations of Parent-Teacher Associations in 18 districts, and regional school heads associations.