Encouraging Student Access to and Use of Pastoral Care Services in Schools

Abstract

School-based health services (SBHS) including pastoral care can play a pivotal role in addressing adolescent health and wellbeing; including their tobacco and other drug use. To maximise the benefits of these services, they need to be accessible, useful for, and acceptable to students. This formative, qualitative study involved 12 focus groups within nine lower socio-economic Western Australian Government secondary schools. The purpose was to identify student (n = 59) perceptions of the availability and usefulness of SBHS (and other identified caring staff) to reduce students’ harm associated with tobacco and other drug use. The findings suggest students were aware of the SBHS available to them, but considered them less useful if staff were regularly unavailable; presented a ‘don't care’ attitude; held solely disciplinary roles; and were based in an area of the school unfamiliar to the student. Services were considered useful when staff members built rapport with students; took time to listen; followed-up with students and displayed a general concern for the student's wellbeing. Interestingly, students acknowledged trusting health teachers more than SBHS staff for tobacco information and support. These findings have important implications for school counsellors and other school health/pastoral care staff who want to increase the likelihood of students approaching and using school support services to reduce harm associated with tobacco and other harmful drug (OHD) use.

Gençlerde Sosyal Medya Bağımlılığına Yönelik Manevi Danışmanlık Müessesi

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Friendly schools’ bullying prevention research: Implications for school counsellors

“…Friendly Schools' research found only 38% of students in Grades 7-9 who were targets of bullying spoke with a school staff member about it, 53% told another adult, and 48% told a friend or sibling (Shaw et al, 2019). This low rate of help seeking was particularly true for students who identify as male, and secondary school students (Cardoso et al, 2012;Lawrence et al, 2015). Our research suggests that school counsellors may need to provide bridging actions, such as initial online contact (particularly for boys), and empower students to accompany bullied students to seek help when they need it.…”

A confluence of evidence

“…Recent evaluations of school-based health programmes show that the following factors are needed for such interventions to be effective (Macpherson, 2013;Cardoso et al, 2012;UK Department of Health, 2012;Chase et al, 2006):…”