School services

School services and supports, and the impact of problems on young people's schooling

Schools play a major role in supporting young people with emotional and behavioural problems and are often where symptoms of mental disorders are first identified. Data are for the 95.9% of 4-17 year-olds attending school or another educational institution.

• • A school staff member was among those to suggest that some help for emotional or behavioural problems was needed in two fifths (40.5%) of cases.
  • One in nine (11.5%) students had used a school service for emotional or behavioural problems in the previous 12 months.
    - 8.0% received individual counselling.
    - 2.7% received group counselling or participated in a support program.
  • Just over one fifth (22.6%) of young people who used health services had been referred by their school.
  • Teachers and other school staff provided 18.9% of students with informal support for emotional and behavioural problems. This was higher (51.0%) for students assessed as having a mental disorder.
  • Of the four types of disorder, major depressive disorder had the greatest impact on school attendance. Students with this disorder averaged 20 days absent from school in the previous 12 months due to its symptoms.
  • Major depressive disorder had the greatest impact on functioning at school, with one third (34.3%) of students experiencing severe impact and another 34.1% a moderate impact due to this disorder.
  • For adolescents, conduct disorders had almost the same level of impact (22.8% severe and 43.6% moderate), but conversely also had the highest proportion (21.8%) for whom the disorder had no impact.