SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGISTS
1109. Hon COLIN de GRUSSA to the Minister for Education and
Training:
I refer to mental health support
for school students in years 11 and 12.
(1) Does the
Department of Education keep records of the number of students seeking
assistance or using services for mental health issues?
(2) If yes to (1),
please provide the number of students who have sought or are using such
services for the following cohorts —
(a) year 11 in
2019;
(b) year 12 in 2019;
(c) year 11 in 2020 to date; and
(d) year 12 in 2020 to date?
(3) For the
cohorts listed in part (2)(a)–(d), will the minister please provide the
number of regional students for each?
(4) If no to (1), how does the
department assess the need for such services in schools?
(5) What
resources has the government put in place to provide additional access to mental
health services in schools across the state?
Hon SUE ELLERY replied:
I thank the honourable member for
some notice of the question.
(1) The
department keeps records for students referred to school psychologists only.
Students may, however, access a broad range of school-based supports for mental
health issues. This information would be held at an individual school level and
includes services and supports provided by teachers; for example, year
coordinators, school nurses, chaplains, youth workers and Aboriginal and
Islander education officers. Some schools also have external providers of
mental health services on site.
(2) The number of service requests
to school psychologists relating to mental health issues is as follows —
(a) for year 11 in 2019, 1 225;
(b) for year 12 in 2019, 869;
(c) for year 11 in 2020 to date, 1 214;
and
(d) for year 12 in 2020 to date, 879.
This data represents both
metropolitan and regional requests and may include multiple requests from
individual students.
(3) The number of service requests to regional school
psychologists relating to mental health issues is as follows —
(a) for year 11 in 2019, 308;
(b) for year 12 in 2019, 199;
(c) for year 11 in 2020 to date, 382;
and
(d) for year 12 in 2020 to date, 213.
This data represents regional
requests only and may include multiple requests from individual students.
(4) Not applicable.
(5) Resources
from the state government to provide additional services in schools include the
level 3 mental health coordinator based in schools to deliver the Mental Health
in Schools project, which was an election commitment; Gatekeeper suicide
prevention training and teen mental health first aid through the school
response program; additional resourcing for third party mental health service
provision in some schools; and the in-school state-funded chaplaincy program.