Recommendations

A range of immediate actions are required to ensure that the college

environment is more conducive to the positive health and well being of all

students at third level.

1.  Ensure that the Health Promoting College Network be established to provide

a mechanism and structure for a settings based approach to progress health

promotion in the college setting and as a forum in which to address the over 

arching determinants of health for the entire college community.

2.  Based on the findings of this CLAN Survey, health promotion structures and

frameworks should give priority to mental health promotion and reducing

alcohol related harm.

3.  Colleges should establish relevant partnerships with service providers and

community organisations at a local level to address health and welfare issues.

4.  Gender analysis should be built into the current and future work of colleges

in the health promotion field to ensure that programmes and interventions

are developed to meet the different needs of male and female students.

5.  A programme of on going research should be agreed to allow for monitoring

of trends and evaluation of programmes and interventions. 

6.  Colleges should consider ways to build social networks for first year students.

For example through a mentoring system which supports the transition and

challenges of the new college environment. The mentoring system could also

include supports for students in second level schools prior to college entry.

7.  Colleges should be encouraged to develop and implement an action plan for

mental health promotion with emphasis on enhancing the protective factors

including circle of friends as key contacts and reducing risk factors such as

alcohol related harm.

8.  Colleges should be encouraged to implement all five elements of the college

alcohol policy framework. Priority should be given to the training and

delivery of brief intervention in the college health centres and other early

intervention strategies as a matter of urgency. 

9.  College Clubs and Societies should seek opportunities to promote positive

health with strategies to promote mental health and low risk drinking.

10. Colleges should seek to address sexual health needs and links should be 

developed with Service Providers for STI screening.

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