Durkan welcomes U-turn on school counselling funding

THE SDLP’s Mark H Durkan has welcomed a necessary U-turn by the Department of Education which will allow mental health funding to be directed towards counselling for pupils.

Guidance issued by the department previously advised that funds could not be utilised to support a ‘small group of pupils or individuals.’

Said the Foyle MLA: “I welcome the Department of Education’s reversal of the ludicrous decision not to allow the recently announced £5 million funding package for mental health and wellbeing, to be spent on individual counselling sessions.

“The waiting lists for children’s counselling were significant long before the pandemic hit, the funding gap has been evident in recent years.

“However, the impact of Covid-19 has only served to heighten anxieties and exacerbate mental health issues for many children.

“A fact clearly demonstrated in a study commissioned by the Health and Social Care Board in October, which highlighted high levels of anxiety and depression among children and young people in Northern Ireland.

“This new funding was introduced in response to the pressures facing schools post-Covid.

“Yet for some pupils, this spending will be most effective when used on targeted, individual training sessions. And while it is important all children are supported and that mental health wellbeing is promoted within the school curriculum, there must be at least an element of recognition that for some the Covid pandemic will have had a more profound effect than others.

“For them, a safe space where they can talk openly about their mental health challenges without fear of judgement, can be a real gamechanger.

“Counselling is an invaluable and meaningful road to recovery for people of all ages.

“The earlier we can intervene to provide that service and the skills that come with it, the more effective it will be.

“Promoting mental health remains a momentous undertaking but the department in conjunction with the Department of Health, need to use everything in its arsenal to deliver better mental healthcare pathways.

“An environment must be created where we can develop initiatives within our schools and provide our health service with adequate funding to meet demand and deliver effective, contemporaneous care.

“We need to embolden our children from an early age with the importance of speaking openly about mental health- that fight begins in our schools.

“So, it is crucially important funding is spent effectively and directed appropriately,” added Mr Durkan.

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