Yorkshire MP backs our campaign for school counsellors
Radio Aire's Problem Shared campaign is calling for every school to have a counsellor
Last updated 29th Jun 2018
A Yorkshire MP is backing Radio Aire’s campaign for every school to have a counsellor - as shocking new figures reveal nearly half of pupils can't access the support they need.
We launched Problem Shared with the mum of Leeds schoolboy Daniel Long, who took his own life through exam stress last year.
“I just can’t begin to imagine what that family’s gone through,” says Labour’s John Healey.
“But fair play to them, they want to make sure that what happened to Daniel doesn’t happen again if it can be avoided. So this campaign to say ‘let’s have a counsellor in all schools’ is exactly what’s needed, and something I strongly support."
The Wentworth and Dearne MP thinks we are reaching a ‘crisis point’ in education, and believes having a trained mental health expert in every school is the only way to help tackle the problem.
Yesterday an education conference heard how 2 in 5 teachers think their school's mental health provision is non-existent or inadequate.
The survey of hundreds of teachers by the teenage mental health charity stem4 reveals the growing mental health crisis in British schools, with more than a third of those questioned admitting they’ve feared a pupil will come to harm while waiting for treatment.
Nearly four in five say at least one of their pupils has experienced a mental health issue over the past year.
Yet nearly half said students are unable to access the services they need to make a recovery, with a quarter admitting their school has no budget at all for mental health services.
The findings were discussed at conference for education professionals yesterday.
“Schools face huge challenges in dealing with mental health issues in their students, and teachers are on the front line,” says Dr Nihara Krause, Consultant Clinical Psychologist and CEO of stem4.
“There’s an urgent need for better support mechanisms in schools, as well as decent funding for the range of mental health services children and young people need.
“Whilst the Government has put forwarded proposals to address the growing mental health problem among children and young people, these initiatives will only be available in 20 per cent of schools by 2023, with the full role out for a designated mental health lead in each school anticipated to be completed in 2025. This is woefully inadequate in addressing current need.”
In a statement, a government spokesperson said:
“To support schools, the Government has pledged £1.7 billion to help promote, protect and improve children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing. Our proposals outlined in the children and young people’s mental health green paper will provide significant additional resources for early mental health intervention for all schools.
“This includes improving the links between the NHS and schools, speeding up access to more intensive support, as well as boosting capacity to ensure early intervention and help schools to decide what other support to provide.”
You can sign our Problem Shared petition here.