Protecting the mental health of our students needs to be done by frontline guidance counsellors rather than school caretakers or class teachers
The Green Party's Education Spokesperson, Catherine Martin welcomed the Government's launch of the document on 'Well being in Post Primary Schools: Guidelines for Mental Health Promotion and Suicide Prevention" but cautioned that serious questions remain whilst guidance counsellors hours remain reduced in schools.
"Last year's decision by the Department of Education and Skills to remove the ex-quota guidance allocation in second level schools has resulted in a reduction of 51.4% in the time allocated to guidance counselling services. At a time of immense need among young people, we are witnessing a shameful reduction in counseling services. Cuts to such services reduced the opportunity for young people to have crucial easy access to professionally trained counsellors and is completely at odds with the stated guidelines in the Governments own document." she stated.
Catherine Martin, a teacher herself, said that the existing good practice in schools has always encouraged school staff to refer children at risk to the guidance counsellor. "Ministers Ruairi Quinn and Kathleen Lynch seem to think that depressed or suicidal teens are just as likely to turn to the school caretaker, a class teacher or year head as they are to a guidance teacher but such a well meaning, sympathetic ear is a poor substitute to the guidance counsellor who has the expert training and skill to provide the proper care and support required by these young people."
"Minister Lynch suggested that the promotion of the mental health of students was the job of everyone in the school but the promotion of the mental wellness of our children must be a priority of the Government and all necessary funds and resources must be allocated to help these vulnerable students by the provision of professional counseling services" concluded Martin
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