650 Glasgow primary kids to be given counselling

More than 600 Glasgow primary children are to be given counselling to help them cope with problems at home and school.

A specialist team, made up by a qualified counsellor or therapist and four trained counsellors, will be on site at two East End schools

The move is part of a pilot joint project between the city council and UK charity, The Place2Be, which employs mental health professionals and more than 600 trained volunteer counsellors.

It is already working with more than 58,000 children in 172 primaries in deprived parts of England and Wales and runs a similar scheme in Edinburgh.

The schools taking part are St Benedict’s and Aultmore Park, which moved to a new £8.2million campus in March after an amalgamation of Easthall, Provanhill and Wellhouse primaries.

They were chosen because of levels of need in the school and community and because they are near each other.

Both schools will have a dedicated The Place2Be room and a specialist team for 2½ days each week.

Maureen McKenna, the council’s education director, said: “Evidence from other schools has shown that the service is extremely popular and is used on average by more than 60% of the school population during the year.”

Special advice and support group sessions are offered during break times. Topics raised can include concerns over moving to secondary school, friendship problems, bullying and worries over school or home issues.

There will also be sessions which involve entire classes and one-to-one counselling, which provides weekly support for children referred to the service.

Ms McKenna said: “The counselling responds directly to the needs of the child based on clinical assessment and can be provided on a short or long-term basis, which can be anything up to a full school year.”

It is anticipated that 650 pupils from the two schools will benefit from the service, along with their parents and 57 school staff.

Ms McKenna said: “The evidence suggests that investing in children’s mental health and wellbeing now will pay off in the future in improved life chances and achievements and better educational attainment.

“Head teachers have examined in detail the attainment of children receiving individual therapeutic support, and considerable improvements in reading, writing and maths have been reported.”

Jonathan Wood, the charity’s manager in Scotland, said: “Who’s to say that a child kicking off at school, or becoming isolated and unhappy, isn’t standing at the bottom of a huge heap of difficulties that their parents, extended families and neighbourhoods will struggle to deal with?

“The Place2Be provides a place for those children to be listened to.”