Our lobbying engages key stakeholders and people from the community.
Lobbying for young people across Northern Ireland.
The Independent Counselling Service for Schools (ICSS) is often a key part of secondary school pupils’ mental health support network, offering free and relevant counselling during school time.
This essential service, despite a growing and apparent need, is not provided (or funded) by the Department of Education or the Education Authority within primary schools. As a result, many of our youngest pupils facing trauma, grief, ACEs and diagnosed mental health conditions are not receiving counselling within a school setting unless schools privately fund from their already limited budgets and source this support in their own time.
Pure Mental is working with key stakeholders like teachers, principals, parents, young people and counselling to examine primary school counselling, looking at the need for it, how it would be best implemented, and ensuring that when the Department of Education do pilot this service (as outlined in The Children & Young People’s Emotional Health and Wellbeing in Education Framework) that is done in the most effective and impactful way, with the concerns and priorities of these stakeholders in mind.
