College principals urge ministers to extend funding for counsellors

College principals are urging the Scottish government to save 80 counselling jobs at risk of redundancy.

The jobs have been funded since 2018 and have allowed students access to counselling at colleges and universities.

College leaders have asked the Scottish government for clarity over whether they will extend funding beyond July.

The Scottish government said no decision had been taken for funding the next academic year.

It said it has invested more than £11.5m on introducing almost 90 additional counsellors to colleges and universities.

The service was put in place before the Covid-19 pandemic and the cost of living crisis as mental health issues were recognised as having a huge impact on student wellbeing.

The colleges want to save the service and jobs, with 21 college principals having written to the Scottish government for help.

Jon Vincent, principal of Glasgow Clyde College and mental health lead for the college sector, said the risk of potential redundancy for counsellors was "very concerning".

He said: "Over the past two years, myself and other college leaders have repeatedly asked the Scottish government to support the future of this vital service, but funding is only in place until the summer.

"We have recruited counsellors to help save lives on campus, give very vulnerable students support, and be our experts in-house to deal with mental health issues.

"As employers we don't have the money to carry on the service from our own budgets and we need the scheme to receive ongoing funding separately as it has done for the past four years.

"We also need to give our employees some certainty about whether they are able to stay on."

The Mental Health Foundation research published in 2022, which unveiled the scale of mental health issues for college students in Scotland, found that 54% of students reported having moderate, moderately severe, or severe symptoms of depression.

The funding for counsellors in colleges and universities was launched in 2018 by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, with £20m in funding committed.

Colleges Scotland has said it has received no assurances from the Scottish government that the scheme is either to be continued, or ended, after asking for clarity on the future of the scheme nearly two years ago.

A Scottish government spokesperson said: "Over the last three academic years, we have invested more than £11.5m to introduce almost 90 additional counsellors in colleges and universities - over and above what institutions have already provided.

"Despite a very challenging fiscal environment, we have confirmed a further £2m in this academic year to March 2023, and we are committed to additional funding to cover the entirety of the current academic year. No decision has been taken with regard to funding beyond the end of the current academic year.

"The Scottish government will also deliver a student mental health plan in spring 2023. This will provide a framework for student mental health support in universities and colleges, which will be linked to our wider Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy."