Buckinghamshire Guidance:

Buckinghamshire Guidance: Counselling in Schools JAN 2014

Summary of document and key points: 1. Purpose/scope of guidance document 2. What is counselling? 3. Why is counselling useful in a school setting? 4. Counselling and how it fits with other areas of school 5. Questions to ask when considering setting up a counselling service 6. Managing conflicts of interest 7. When to use a school counsellor and when to access external support 8. Where to find a counsellor 9. Qualifications (accreditation routes), training, and experience 10. Confidentiality 11. Referral process 12. Parental involvement 13. Supervision of counsellors 14. Monitoring of counsellors/evaluation of impact 15. Insurance for school counsellors 16. List of useful phone numbers and websites

1. Purpose/Scope of Guidance document This document aims to set guidelines and quality standards for counselling services commissioned by Buckinghamshire schools so that schools can ensure they have an appropriate, effective and safe service from whichever provider they choose to commission. This document has been compiled by Public Health, the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS), Children and Young People s Joint Commissioning, the Buckinghamshire Learning Trust and Time to Talk Bucks. It draws on their experiences of working closely with a wide variety of education establishments and professionals, as well as existing evidence of best practice. 2. What is counselling? It is important to distinguish between the process of counselling that is provided by counsellors, and counselling skills which may be used in schools by school staff and school nurses for example. While the importance of counselling skills is recognised, this guidance document is focussed on the role of the counsellor. The British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) provide the following definition in their document Good practice guidance for counselling in schools 1. Counselling takes place when a counsellor sees a client in a private and confidential setting to explore a difficulty the client is having, distress they may be experiencing, or perhaps their dissatisfaction with life, or loss of a sense of direction or purpose. It is always at the request of the client as no one can properly be sent for counselling. By listening attentively and patiently, the counsellor can begin to perceive the difficulties from the client s point of view and can help them to see things more clearly, possibly from a different perspective. Counselling is a way of enabling choice or change or of reducing confusion. It does not involve giving advice or directing a client to take a particular course of action. Counsellors do not judge or exploit their clients in any way. The counsellor will encourage the expression of feelings and as a result of their training will be able to accept and reflect the client s problems without becoming burdened by them. Acceptance and respect for the client are essentials for a counsellor and, as a relationship develops, so too does trust between the counsellor and client, enabling the client to look at many aspects of their life, their relationships and themselves which they may not have considered or been able to face before. The counsellor may help the client to examine in detail the behaviour or situations that are proving troublesome and to find an area where it would be 1 BACO: www.bacp.co.uk

possible to initiate some change as a start. The counsellor may help the client to look at the options open to them and help them to decide the best for them. In the context of children and young people, counselling can be important as an early intervention following signs of emotional or behaviour difficulties. It can enable children and young people to gain a better understanding of themselves and the situations facing them and to develop coping strategies, particularly pertinent given the amount of change (developmental and situational) that young people will face. 3. Why is counselling useful in a school setting? Good mental health and wellbeing, and not simply the absence of mental illness, have been shown to result in a number of benefits, including: 2 I. Greater educational achievement II. III. IV. More participation in community life Better physical health and reduced mortality Reductions in health-damaging behaviour Adolescence is a crucial life stage for intervention and prevention activities. Half of those with lifetime mental health problems first experience symptoms by the age of 14, and three quarters before their mid 20s 3. Times of transition in a young person s life such as moving from primary to secondary school can cause or illuminate emotional difficulties. National and Buckinghamshire research has shown that young people view their school as an important source of emotional support 4. For example, 41% of pupils interviewed from years 10-11 would like to go to their school for emotional support. This is higher than any other potential support source. School counsellors are important because other school staff don t have the training/capacity to offer this level of support (although they can certainly support the process). 4. Counselling and how it fits with other areas of school A counselling service offers therapeutic structured support, but other school staff (teachers, pastoral support, school nurses etc) can support this process using counselling skills. Young people themselves can also be trained with counselling skills for peer support projects. Counselling services are most helpfully seen as confidential services to pupils, which complement rather than replace the school s own pastoral system. A senior school contact will be needed, who will be responsible for liaising with the school counsellor. The importance of communication should be emphasised. The service needs to be imbedded within the school. 2 Mental health promotion and mental illness prevention: The economic case 3 No health without mental health 4 Seen and heard, Young Foundation, 2012.

Counselling services that have been provided in schools inspected by the Office of Standards in Education (OFSTED) have been shown to: I. Complement pastoral care systems II. Support teachers care of their pupils and their management of those with emotional and behavioural difficulties III. Offer training to teachers in counselling skills and stress management IV. Provide consultation, training, support and supervision of strategies to counteract problems such as bullying and truancy V. Influence drug and sex education policies within a confidential framework VI. Contribute to PSHE VII. Support effective child protection procedures. 5. Questions to ask when setting up or running a counselling service If you are setting up an in-school counselling service for the first time, there are a number of important questions that need to be addressed: How will appointments be arranged/ booked? How many hours will the counsellor be in-school per day/week? How can the school publicise its counselling service? (For example, newsletter, printed resources, assemblies etc) Does the school have a suitable room? The room should be comfortable, in a quiet area of the school. If pupils will be expected to wait outside the room before their appointment, thought needs to be given as to how they can wait discreetly. Room (or other appropriate venue) should contain lockable filing cabinets for the counsellor s notes. Who can refer pupils for counselling in the school? Can students self refer? How will the service make its processes clear to parents and carers? How will records be kept? (see Section 10: Confidentiality) How can we ensure the service is appropriately and safely commissioned? (see Appendix A: Commissioning Checklist) An example job description/person specification can be found in Appendix B Counselling in Schools An example of Good Practice In advance of counselling delivery starting in a school, the counsellor visits the school to meet with the counselling lead and the child protection officer(s) within the school to agree policies and procedures. During this meeting the counsellor and the counselling lead agree key aspects for delivery including: Limitations of confidentiality what will and won t be shared with the school, with consent from the student and in exceptional circumstances such as child protection/ safeguarding (see Section 10: Confidentiality)

Procedures for the counsellor to follow should there be any emergency or child protection issue regarding a student that the counsellor may be working with The school will take the lead on any child protection or safeguarding concern; however, there may still be some responsibilities on the counsellor depending on the outcomes of a referral An appropriate and confidential room is reserved on a weekly basis for the counsellor to hold their sessions where they will not be interrupted An agreed day each week the counsellor will attend and time slots to suit counselling good practice and fit in with the school timetable usually one counselling session per lesson it is sensible to vary the time the student attends each week so they are not missing the same lesson every time A recommended maximum of 5 clients seen per day Procedures for how clients will be referred and appointments organised by the school each week At the first session with a student, the counsellor will agree and explain the following: What counselling is and how it can help Confidentiality and the limits to confidentiality Data Protection Working to the BACP (or other) ethical framework The length of each session and how often they will meet (weekly or fortnightly) Complaints Policy That the counsellor is there for the student, not the school/ parents etc. to help build an honest and healthy relationship Check if the student has any concerns/ questions Once counselling delivery begins, it runs most effectively when the main counselling lead in the school is a member of the pastoral support team. It is best practice for the counselling lead in the school to put in processes as follows: To be the face-to-face contact for the counsellor on a weekly basis providing appropriate feedback and relevant additional information to the counsellor; for example, if a student has had a difficult week Understand the limits of confidentiality not to expect to be told what is being discussed between the counsellor and the student Managing the referrals ensuring they are appropriate, assessing urgency, prioritising cases to the counsellor as required Ensuring they or another school staff member are available to chase up attendees, i.e. sending a runner to collect the student from class To support the counsellor with any escalations re child protection/ safeguarding, supporting the counsellor with the disclosure, following up the referral with Social Care and keeping the counsellor informed as needed At the end of each day at school, the counsellor should feed-back any pertinent information to the counselling lead, such as bookings for the following week or problems that they may have experienced before leaving. 6. Managing conflicts of interest It is possible that the role of the counsellor (who is accountable to the young person), may come into conflict with the role of head-teacher (who is ultimately accountable for everything in the school). This makes the

relationship between the head teacher and counsellor very important, and the head teacher should be kept informed in general of the counselling service. It should be noted, the counsellor is primarily accountable to the professional organisation to which they belong through their registration (see Section 9: Qualifications). If there is a conflict of interests between those organisations to which the counsellor is accountable, the counsellor must make this explicit and seek to resolve any conflict. It s important that a counsellor should feel part of the school in general. If there are difficulties these should be handled by the school s complaints procedure. At the outset of setting up a counselling service, there should be negotiated agreements between the school and counsellor around the following issues: What information about the service will be given to parents, staff and pupils The referral process Obtaining consent Child protection procedures/training in the school Clarification of boundaries where counsellors are undertaking other roles in the school such as attendance at meetings and involvement in professional development courses Issues relating to information exchange Recording, monitoring and evaluation of the processes set up Complaints procedures 7. When to use a school counsellor and when to access external support Wherever possible, it is important to offer young people choice in terms of where they can go for support. As well as your in-school counselling service, there are other support services that can be drawn upon. The youth counselling pathway in Appendix C details the counselling provision that is available in Buckinghamshire for young people. 8. Where to find a counsellor Buckinghamshire s Youth Counselling Service: Time to Talk Bucks Good practice guidance for counselling in schools, 4 th edition lists where counselling posts can be advertised. 9. Qualifications (accreditation routes), training, and experience As a minimum standard, counsellors in schools should have undertaken training to a diploma level. This will ensure that the counsellor has had 100 hours of supervised work with clients (or 50 if supported by a recognised professional agency such as Time to Talk Bucks). Also, the counsellor should be a member (or be eligible for membership) of a recognised professional body such as the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP), or the British Psychological Society (BPS) and have received or be working towards accreditation or registration.

All counsellors should be working within a recognised code of ethics and practice and conform to the standards of practice of their relevant professional body. The counsellor should be able to provide references and be expected to undertake appropriate police checks. Counsellors not employed by the school In the case of counsellors that are visiting premises on behalf of an external organisation, you do not need to complete a CRB for these individuals; all that is required is that you get written confirmation from the employing organisation that all relevant vetting and barring checks have been completed with regards to this individual. For this confirmation you may wish to ask the employing organisation to complete the 'Certificate of Assurance' (aka Letter of Reassurance). This can be found in Appendix D. Counsellor employed by the school 1. New counsellors will be required to have a CRB check and a barred list check (see Appendix E for further information) 2. CRB check renewals (usually once every three years) will also be required CRBs are now processed online and all schools have been set up with access to this with guidance etc. The link to access this site is: https://buckscc.employmentcheck.org.uk/user_login.php Counsellors working with schools should be asked to undertake Buckinghamshire County Council Child Protection Training and should be made familiar with the school s policies and other education procedures relating to health and safety etc. Sometimes schools may be asked whether they would be willing to provide placements for people undertaking their counselling training or those who are building up supervised hours of counselling. Caution should be taken if agreeing to such placements - volunteers should be working towards accreditation and be supported/line managed by a fully qualified paid counsellor. Nb. Counselling MindEd, an evidence based programme of e-learning modules to support the training and supervision of counselling work with children, young people and young adults will be freely available online from March 2014. This e-learning will count towards CPD and is recognised by the BACP http://counsellingminded.com/ 10. Confidentiality Please also see Section 11: Parental Involvement. A confidentiality statement needs to be agreed between the school and the counsellor in advance of the counsellor starting delivery in the school. It is the counsellor s responsibility to make sure their clients are aware of the limits of

confidentiality as part of the contract with the young person in their first session. The policy should cover how much information, regarding why a young person is accessing counselling, is kept confidential between the counsellor and the young person, and how much is shared with the school. Any sharing should be carried out with consent and the young person s knowledge. Offering confidentiality is an important part of counselling. There are however, exceptions where a counsellor would have to break confidentiality; for example when a young person is at risk of harm, needs medical attention etc. These limits to confidentiality should be explained to the young person regarding when a counsellor is required to break confidentiality, i.e. they make a child protection disclosure. Wherever possible this sharing of information should still be done with the young person s consent and knowledge; however, information should be shared even without consent when there is a child protection or safeguarding concern. All written records must be stored securely in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998. All Counsellors will need to be very clear on safeguarding and child protection requirements in Buckinghamshire 11. Referral process It will be important for the school and counsellor to agree on a referral process. Referrals may be open to the student body generally (self referrals) or they may be via a designated school staff member. Criteria for what would constitute a priority case should also be discussed. 12. Parental involvement When working with secondary school pupils under the age of 16, it is preferable but not essential to have parental consent. If a young person feels strongly that they do not wish their parent to be contacted, it is possible to counsel young people under 16 in accordance with the Fraser guidelines as follows: Young people from 16-18 years of age are, as a result of statute (s.8 Family Law Reform Act, 1987), generally regarded as competent and able to consent to their own medical treatment, although it is possible for the court to override their refusal to consent to treatment in certain instances. Children and young people under the age of 16 are, however, generally regarded by the law as being incompetent and unable to consent to their own medical treatment. The House of Lords ruling in the case of Gillick (1985) 3 all ER 402 had the effect of permitting doctors to provide medical treatment to children under the age of 16 without parental consent, if they were found by the doctor to be competent (Gillick competent). The decision as to whether or not a child is competent depends on a number of factors, including the maturity of the child, the child s understanding of the consequences of his or her actions etc.

The Gillick ruling should not be regarded as giving doctors, other medical professionals or counsellors the automatic right to treat children under the age of 16 without parental consent. Later case law has limited the effect of the Gillick ruling by tightening the criteria for competence. There is now considerable doubt as to whether certain categories of children, such as those suffering from intermittent mental illness or drug misuse, would be regarded as competent to consent to medical treatment without the consent of knowledge of a parent. It is also the case that, the younger the child, the less likely it is that the child will be found competent. While there is no legal decision which sets a minimum age at which children can be found as competent to consent to their own medical treatment, it is unlikely that many children under the age of 13 would be deemed competent to consent to medical treatment or counselling without the involvement of a parent. In schools where the counselling service works well, parents are informed of the service in the September newsletter. 13. Supervision of counsellors Counsellors will require two distinct forms of supervision: a) Professional/line manager supervision (either from within the school, or from an external organisation if not directly employed by the school) b) Clinical supervision: An ongoing formal process providing support to counsellors to ensure high quality practice and reflection/learning from experiences. All professional counsellors are required to accept regular clinical supervision. BACP accreditation currently requires at least 1.5 hours of supervision a month. For counsellors employed by external counselling services, the services will usually provide clinical supervision or require evidence that supervision is taking place. For private counsellors directly employed by a school, the school should either pay for clinical supervision as part of their contract with the counsellor, or stipulate that the counsellor must pay for this themselves and provide evidence that this is taking place at the required level. 14. Monitoring of counsellors/evaluation of impact It is very important that the impact the school counsellor is making is monitored in some way. For example, in some areas, counsellors are required to provide the school with an annual report containing numbers, ages, gender and ethnicity of young people that have been referred to them, as well as an anonymous summary of the kinds of issues that young people have been experiencing. There are various tools available that can be used to monitor the impact of counselling on individuals. For example, Young People s Core 10. Once a young person is referred, it would also be useful for the school to monitor changes to their attendance, behaviour, attitude to learning and academic progress. 15. Insurance for school counsellors

In terms of public liability and professional indemnity insurance - if a counsellor is provided by a Local Authority funded counselling service, this insurance will be in place. If a private counsellor is employed, it s vital to ensure they have this cover. 16. List of useful phone numbers and websites This guidance document provides an overview of some of the key things to be aware of when setting up, implementing and maintaining an in-school counselling service. Further information can be found from the following sources: BACP Information Department: Here schools can seek guidance on employing a counsellor and ask specific questions Tel: 0870 443 5252 CAMHS South Bucks Team: 01296 464130 North Bucks Team: 0844 225 2414 Youth Counselling Service: Time to Talk Bucks Tel: 0845 408 5022 www.timetotalkbucks.org.uk Educational Psychology Aylesbury office: 01296 383219 High Wycombe office: 01494 732187

Appendix A: Schools as Commissioners of Counselling Services checklist Schools must ensure the counsellor is a member of a recognised professional body e.g. BACP. A trainee counsellor or assistant is not regulated by professional bodies and therefore must be supervised/ line managed by a registered counsellor. Schools must assure themselves that their chosen provider is qualified to undertake to provide the service they require. Schools should take copies of professional qualifications and professional body registration and up to date Criminal Records Bureau Checks or carry out their own8. Schools should assure themselves that the provider has the appropriate amount of indemnity and liability insurance. Schools must discuss their requirements with the provider and to put the outcome of the discussions into a full service specification/ service level agreement to form the basis of a contract with a regular review process, to be no less than annual. If contracting a counsellor: - If a school is commissioning a service then the provider would be expected to have their own equipment including costs for clinical supervision, specific training and continuing professional development (CPD) and for this to be costed into the price for the service. If employing a counsellor: - If schools contract and employ counsellor(s) directly they have legal responsibility and the school will be accountable for any risk to a child as a result of the service. If the school chooses to employ their own counsellor it is important to consider the following issues: Ability to practice (bound by professional body standards) Clinical supervision (essential element for ensuring safe effective practice and that the school as the employer assures themselves the counsellor has clinical supervision. When negotiating the service to be provided it should be explicit who is responsible for paying for the supervision and employers should be aware that this is likely to have a cost attached to it.) The commissioner should make sure that the SLT liaises with local health systems and can support effective referral and access to other multi disciplinary services appropriately Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Specific training that may be required e.g. Child protection

Appendix B: Example job description/person specification JOB DESCRIPTION Counsellor XXXX School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. ROLE PURPOSE To provide effective counselling support at XXXX School to young people in Buckinghamshire. MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES To provide counselling sessions to support young people in Bucks To follow XXXX School policies and procedures and guidelines in accordance with British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) To accept referrals from XXXX School, young people and other multi-agency partners as appropriate To work effectively with other schools and agencies to establish professional relationships To attend appropriate monthly 1:1 clinical supervision with an agreed supervisor To attend regular clinical group supervision as appropriate To attend training, including mandatory Child Protection/ Safeguarding training, provided by XXXX School and other partner agencies within the agreed timescale To attend monthly line management meetings with XXXX School to review work, keep up to date with school information, changes to policies and procedures, and other relevant information To demonstrate effective safeguarding practice Share good practice across other counselling services as appropriate Keep abreast of developments within counselling therapies and the wider children and young people s agenda To keep any personal written notes safe and secure in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998 To contribute monthly returns of statistical information to XXXX School as appropriate To use a form of assessment with the young people to measure outcomes, as agreed with XXXX School Name: Signature: Date:...

PERSON SPECIFICATION Volunteer Counsellor KEY CRITERIA ESSENTIAL DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS, TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE COMPETENCE SUMMARY (Knowledge, Abilities, Skills, Experience) WORK-RELATED PERSONAL REQUIREMENTS Achieved/ final year of Level 4 Counselling Qualification Good knowledge and understanding of the BACP Code of Ethics Experience of working with young people Up to date knowledge of Child Protection legislation and procedures Effective communication skills Ability to develop positive relationships with young people Understanding of the issues which affect young people An ongoing commitment to training and personal development Ability to work on own and as part of a team Ability to develop effective relationships with other professionals in the interests of young people Excellent interpersonal skills Good organisational skills, including ability to manage appointments Team worker able to establish excellent relationships with XXXX School colleagues and to work with them in order to deliver high quality counselling services. Experience of working as part of a counselling service Experience of working with statutory and voluntary organisations supporting young people and educational institutions Knowledge and understanding of working with children and young people within the local context Ability to communicate with young people and involve them in decision making SPECIAL FACTORS Share with XXXX School, the commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people.

Appendix C: Youth counselling pathway

Appendix D Buckinghamshire County Council CERTIFICATE OF ASSURANCE Name of Employer: Name(s) of employees/volunteers working/ visiting school: (Please print) Name:... Location:.. Name:... Location:.. Name:... Location:.. I confirm that this organisation complies with the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) Code of Practice. I confirm that all appropriate vetting procedures have been carried out and all the above named employees have a current CRB Enhanced Disclosure (if appropriate). This organisation agrees to advise the relevant Service of the Council immediately of any concerns that arise over any of this organisation s employees/volunteers who would be present on the Council s premises or who are contracted to work for the Council in any way. Signed:. Position in Company:. Name (Please print). Date:

Appendix E: Eligibility for Enhanced CRB Checks Does the post fall within the new definition of regulated activity*? Yes Carry out a CRB check, including a barred list check No Did the role previously fall within the definition of regulated activity? Yes Carry out a risk assessment to establish if a check without the barred list is required. No Carry out a risk assessment to identify and manage any risks If necessary carry out the check. If not use the risk assessment to identify and manage any risks *Regulated Activity definition: Work of a specified nature which involves close and unsupervised contact with children which occurs frequently/regularly in a specified place. Specified role/work: is it a specified child-related role/work? E.g. a teacher, learning support assistant, midday supervisor. Specified nature: is the activity of a specified nature - that is, one of the following activities with children: teaching, training, care, supervision, advice, treatment? Supervision: does the activity involve close and unsupervised contact**? Close: work which involves close proximity to a child and allows the possibility of a relationship to be built Unsupervised: there is no-one overseeing the activity who has had a CRB and barred list check (i.e. someone who has been checked for undertaking Regulated Activity) Frequency: Is the activity regulated? i.e. is the activity: Frequent (once per week or more) or Intensive (4 days per month or more) or Overnight (between 2am and 6am) Specified place: Does the activity take place in a specified place? E.g. a school. All paid staff working at specified places - notably schools - are in regulated activity

Everyone previously entitled to an enhanced CRB check is still permitted to have one. However, it is only when Regulated Activity is undertaken that a Barred List Check is completed