School Counselling Services

Part of 1. Questions to the Minister for Education – in the Senedd at 1:31 pm on 12 February 2020.

Alert me about debates like this

Photo of Kirsty Williams Kirsty Williams Liberal Democrat 1:31, 12 February 2020

Thank you, Joyce. Well, since the publication of that report, a great deal of work has been undertaken and continues to be driven forward. For example, by making all aware of the availability of both counselling provided in schools, in community-based settings, and, indeed, online, in a virtual world, our revised counselling toolkit, which will be published next month, will, I believe, help reduce stigma and normalise the use of counselling services. Our draft whole-school framework guidance, which will be formally consulted on in the next few weeks, also highlights the need for schools to ensure that spaces provided for school-based counselling and other well-being work should avoid having any such space labelled, so that we can avoid such stigma. 

Of course, as we move towards the delivery of our new curriculum, our health and well-being area of learning and experience will encourage children to take better care of both their physical and their mental health, and encourage help-seeking behaviours as an acceptable response when children feel upset or distressed.