NSW Election 2023: Labor pledges 250 school counsellors to boost mental health

Student wellbeing will be given a boost under a Labor plan to hire an additional 250 full-time school counsellors to address a growing youth mental health crisis.

Student wellbeing will be given a boost under a Labor plan to hire an additional 250 full-time school counsellors to address a growing youth mental health crisis.

Labor leader Chris Minns has pledged $75 million to recruit the specialist staff to help support students and improve educational outcomes at schools across the state.

The latest figures from the NSW Education Department reveal there is one school counsellor for every 650 students across the state — far below the one-in-500 ratio recommended by a 2017 parliamentary inquiry.

Government figures also reveal that almost 1700 NSW public schools do not have a full-time counsellor, while 328 schools had counsellors for only two hours a week.

Meantime the government’s own survey of student engagement and wellbeing found that last year just 62 per cent of high school students and 83 per cent of primary students had a sense of belonging and expectations of success.

NSW Labor leader Chris Minns with opposition education spokeswoman Prue Car. Picture: Tim Hunter

The Tell Them From Me student survey results fell far below the department’s 69 per cent target for senior students, and 91 per cent for primary children.

Mr Minns said a Labor government would deliver the additional counsellors in its first term.

“We need to make sure our students can achieve their potential at school, and that means supporting them when they need it,” he said.

“Too often we see school counsellors booked up and students either avoid or miss out on getting support.

“The best thing the NSW government can do is ensure schools can support our students right through their educational journey.”

School attendance rates have also dropped for NSW government schools, from 92.4 per cent in 2015 to 85.2 per cent last year, according to Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority data.

Opposition education spokeswoman Prue Car said Labor’s announcement was the first step towards reaching the 1:500 ratio recommended by several inquiries and called for by the NSW Teachers Federation.

It was also part of a wide-ranging education policy which included banning mobile phones in all classrooms and creating 10,000 more permanent teachers by making temporary positions permanent.

“Thousands of schools across Sydney and regional NSW are going without a full-time school counsellor, with some schools having a counsellor available for less than a quarter of a day per week,” Ms Car said.

“With student attendance and outcomes both falling, we need a fresh approach to lifting engagement and improving student outcomes, and that’s what a Minns Labor government will deliver.”

Last month Education Minister Sarah Mitchell told The Sunday Telegraph the decline in student wellbeing was in line with global trends, due to three years of disruptions.

At the time she said NSW schools had an “army” of more than 2000 wellbeing support staff which included school counsellors, school psychologists and student support officers.

Got a news tip? Email [e-mail]