Access to Counsellors in Secondary Schools and Children and Young People’s Community Mental Health Services – Summary Reports

Access to counselling support through secondary schools is now in place across Scotland. The Scottish Government continues to support local authority partners with £16 million in funding to ensure that every secondary school has access to counselling services.

Through the children and young people’s Community Mental Health and Wellbeing Supports and Services Framework, the Scottish Government is providing local authorities with £15 million per annum to fund community-based mental health supports for children and young people aged 5-24 (26 if care-experienced), their family members and their carers.

Over 230 new and enhanced community services are now in place across Scotland, and are operating in every local authority area. The services are focused on prevention and early intervention, and include supports for positive mental health and wellbeing as well as for emotional distress.

Latest statistics include:

Access to counsellors in secondary schools (Children and young people accessing the services)

In total across all returns, 13,150 children and young people were recorded as having accessed counselling services between July and December 2022.
There were more girls (64%) than boys (35%) recorded as accessing counselling provisions. 1% of young people who accessed counselling services did not identify as male/female or preferred not to specify their gender.

Children and young people’s community mental health and wellbeing supports and services (Children and young people accessing the supports and services

Local authorities reported that 45,523 people used the community-based supports and services during the reporting period (up from 38,342 in the previous six months), 4298 of whom were family members and carers.
51% of the service users were recorded as female and 44% as male, and 5% were recorded as having identified in another way. 56% of the service users were of secondary school age, 39% were of primary school age and under, and 5% were of post-school age.