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Parliamentary Questions


Question Without Notice No. 1109 asked in the Legislative Council on 15 October 2020 by Hon Colin De Grussa

Parliament: 40 Session: 1

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.