NT Education: 14 school counsellor roles vacant despite coroner’s mental health warnings

Almost half of the Territory’s school counsellor roles are empty despite warnings for the Education Department to lift its game when supporting students’ mental health. Find out more.

Almost half of the Territory’s school counsellor roles are empty despite warnings for the Education Department to lift its game when supporting students’ mental health.

During last week’s budget estimates, Education Minister Mark Monaghan revealed there were 14 vacant school counsellor roles in the Territory.

If the positions are filled, there would still only be 30 people equipped to care for more than 30,000 students’ mental health.

“We are also building a team of other allied health professionals; we have specialist teachers, psychologists, positive behaviour implementation coaches, occupational therapists, speech therapists and the little team centrally located that does the supervision and handles the triage of the staff,” Mr Monaghan said.

“We are in transition to building that into a bigger cohort of allied health staff that we hope with the additional funding for next year we will be able to grow.”

He said the Education Department’s current allied health workforce includes 82 staff.

Opposition Education spokeswoman Jo Hersey said the NT’s “crime crisis” made it difficult to recruit for key roles, such as school counsellors.

“The CLP will ensure qualified school counsellors are based in schools and properly resourced including in mental health,” Mrs Hersey said.

“It was Labor who has taken counsellors out of schools and they have failed to recruit almost half of the counsellors currently funded for.”

Territory Coroner Elisabeth Armitage has scrutinised the Education Department’s mental health supports during a recent inquest. Picture: Glenn Campbell

NT Coroner Elisabeth Armitage on Thursday handed down her findings in relation to the suicide death of 13-year-old student, Grace.

During the inquest’s proceedings in February, Ms Armitage heard the teen had told her school counsellor she was having suicidal thoughts before she took her own life in January 2022.

Ms Armitage recommended the Education Department should ensure its policies incorporated best practice “following any disclosure of suicidality or suicidal thoughts by a student”.

“It is not possible to know whether Grace’s death might have been prevented, but I consider that more decisive policies and guidelines concerning risk assessments and interventions in schools following suicide disclosures are warranted,” she said.

Mr Monaghan told the NT News the wellbeing of students and staff were a top priority.

“I’d like to offer my condolences to Grace’s family, friends and school community,” he said.

“We know there is more work to do.

“We will continue to support the wellbeing of our students and teachers and we will carefully consider all recommendations in the Coroner’s report.”