Education
With regard to mental-health facilities and support for learners and staff at schools in Mitchells Plain:
(1) Whether all the schools in Mitchells Plain have access to mental-health support in the form of councillors, social workers and/or psychologists; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;
(2) whether (a) learners and (b) teachers have access to this support; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;
(3) what other interventions have been implemented to support the mental health of (a) learners and (b) teachers?
THE MINISTER OF EDUCATION
2. (1)
Schools in Mitchells Plein have access to the following services:
Stress, Anxiety, Depression and other health issues; Relationship Counselling; Family Counselling; Bereavement Counselling; Alcohol Abuse and Drug Dependencies; Mental Health Disorder; AIDS/HIV Management; Legal Advice; Financial Advice; Face-to-face counselling; Telephone counselling and Critical Incident Counselling.
All the schools in Mitchells Plain have access to district-based Psychologists and Social Workers. Care & Support Assistants that are school-based are provided at high-risk schools. They provide basic counselling and facilitate peer support. The local Community Health Care Centre, Mitchell’s Plain day hospital, provides psychiatric support and medication where needed. Community based services for learners such as Childline & Safeline also provide psycho-social support. A pilot for providing online psycho-social advice and support is beginning in the second term 2021.
Teachers have access to the above services via the Employ Health and Wellness Programme: https://wcedonline.westerncape.gov.za/employee-health-and-wellness-programme
A full roll-out on the psychosocial impact of COVID-19 and Mini Days are currently being finalised.
(2) (a) Learners and Teachers have access to the District based psychologists and Social Workers via the psycho-social support pathway which incorporates the Screening, Identification, Assessment and Support (SIAS) tools
(b) Teachers have access to the above services via the Employ Health and Wellness Programme: https://wcedonline.westerncape.gov.za/employee-health-and-wellness-programme
(3) (a) Additional support:
- Roll out of the Trauma-informed Schools programme (includes mental health awareness to capacitate teachers to support learners)
- Group support to learners (stress and anxiety management)
- Individual therapeutic support for learners
- Psycho-social resources on the WCED ePortal (https://wcedeportal.co.za/)
(b) Psychosocial training interventions has been implemented to support the mental health of educators.
A total of 266 educators and 355 support staff have received training on the psychosocial impact of COVID-19.
