Folláine le Chéile, the National Student Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Framework 2026

The Higher Education Authority (HEA) launched the revised National Student Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Framework, Folláine le Chéile, providing a renewed roadmap for higher education institutions to support student mental health, wellbeing and suicide prevention. 

The new framework aligns with the strategic priorities of the HEA Strategy for Student and Staff Health and Wellbeing and reflects feedback received during a stakeholder consultation process undertaken as part of the review of the 2020 framework. The revised framework streamlines the original nine themes into three overarching themes: Leading, Learning and Nurturing. It places a stronger emphasis on mental health promotion, wellbeing and prevention, while continuing to recognise the important role of student-facing mental health support services. Adopting a whole-institution approach, the framework recognises the needs of all students, including those studying on-campus, part-time, through blended learning and via distance education. 

The framework includes 20 recommended actions for higher education institutions to support student mental health, wellbeing and suicide prevention. Each action is linked to the previous framework and the HEA Healthy Campus Charter and Framework and is accompanied by implementation guidance, monitoring and evaluation measures, and supporting resources.  

The framework can be accessed here.

National Student Health and Wellbeing Research and Development Projects  2026–2027 

Expressions of Interest are now open. Please note that the deadline for submissions is November 27th, 2026, and applications should be submitted to healthycampus@hea.ie.

National Student Health and Wellbeing Research and Development Projects 2026–2027

National Student Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Framework 2020

The Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Simon Harris TD, today launched a new National Framework to address the issues of student mental health and suicide prevention on World Mental Health Day 2020 (10^th October).

This Framework is Ireland’s first ever national approach to address student mental health and suicide prevention. The Framework has been developed as part of the Higher Education Authority’s commitment to play its part in delivering on the Department of Health’s Connecting for Life – Ireland’s National Strategy to Reduce Suicide 2015-2020.

This new National Framework was developed in collaboration with students, mental health and suicide prevention specialists, academics, researchers and institutional staff. The Framework delivers on a commitment to develop national guidelines for the higher education institutions (HEIs) in relation to suicide risk and critical incident response, thereby helping to address any gaps which might exist in the prevention of suicide in higher education.

Review Report 2025

In 2024, a cross-sectoral panel of stakeholders was established to support the HEA in a review of the National Student Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Framework, with members drawn from the HEA Student and Staff Health and Wellbeing Advisory Group.

The review consisted of collating and analysing the progress reports on framework implementation since 2020. The review report contains four key recommendations. For more information, you can read the HEA National Student Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Framework report.