With Scottish Government elections taking place in May 2026, we need to demonstrate why school counselling must continue to be a priority funding area so young people can access life-changing support.

As part of this work, we met 麻豆原创 members and school counsellors, local authority service leads, school staff, and Scottish Government representative at Levenmouth Academy in Fife.

This was the start of a project to evaluate the school-based counselling programme in Scotland - to demonstrate its success but also to highlight where there鈥檚 room for improvement.

Scotland has had fully-funded school counselling since 2019, when the Scottish Government agreed to invest 拢60 million in 350 new school-based counsellors, following a campaign by us and our partners.

Improved access to therapy

At this week鈥檚 event, we were told how the programme has improved access to therapy, giving young people the opportunity to normalise talking about their feelings. But we also heard how changes are needed, including improved procurement processes and more consistency in what鈥檚 offered across the country.

We鈥檙e planning to hold another event to hear from young people themselves.

Next year we鈥檒l be sharing a report with election candidates, politicians, political parties and other policy-makers and education representatives to help influence future decisions on school counselling in Scotland.

Key areas of improvement

Our Four Nations Lead Steve Mulligan said: 鈥淲e want to show the success of the school counselling programme in Scotland but also to suggest a number of key areas of improvement so it can deliver even more for the children of Scotland. It鈥檚 important to look at areas where we can use the experience of therapists working in the system as part of this.

鈥淭his evaluation work ahead of next year鈥檚 election is a crucial opportunity for us to ensure our members and young people鈥檚 voices and experience are heard. We have to demonstrate to politicians and the next Government of Scotland that this programme has a positive impact and is important to continue to invest in.鈥�

John Kennedy, Children, Young People and Families Service Coordinator at 麻豆原创-accredited service DAPL, who attended the event, added:

鈥淗aving 麻豆原创 in Scotland has brought the community of school counsellors together. The proposed report will highlight the societal gains that counselling in schools provides.听

鈥淭he needs of children and families will have a space and place to be heard. Along with this we will offer a greater insight into the often overlooked world of counselling.鈥�

Daryl Friel, Depute Headteacher, Wellbeing, Equality and Inclusion, at Levenmouth Academy, added:

"The event was a fantastic opportunity to shine a light on the importance of counselling in schools. Having access to a school counsellor through DAPL has been transformative for many of our young people and school - offering a safe, supportive space where they feel heard, valued, and empowered to work through challenges. It鈥檚 not just about responding to crisis; it鈥檚 about building resilience, building a toolkit of strategies, building confidence, and emotional wellbeing. We鈥檙e incredibly grateful for the ongoing conversations, planning and support our听 DAPL counsellor provides young people and staff and proud to be part of a wider conversation about strengthening mental health provision in education."听

If you鈥檙e a 麻豆原创 member or organisation in Scotland and want to get in touch with our policy team about this work, please email publicaffairs@bacp.co.uk