Are psycho-social services working in schools?

The psycho-social meeting  at our school was held this week. What should have been done at the beginning of October, was done in the middle of November. My first impression was that something was not on. As the assistant head of the year 9s, with the latter being new to the school, I should have been alerted to these most sensitive cases immediately. In fact, the other way has happened.

The meeting consisted of me telling them who I know about and what I have done, in my capacity to support these students. When I told them that I should have been alerted first, especially since this is my first year as assistant head and also as the students have started a new school, I was met with blank stares.

Such meetings should be held at the beginning of every school year, so that the assistant head in charge does not stumble upon the person with problems, by chance, as has happened to me. I have come to know these students and their problems quite by chance, as I have described in my previous blogs.  Knowing about these students before would have helped in handling their cases better.

To add insult to injury, psycho-social services cannot help two particular students, as nothing else can be done for them. So what is the exact role of the prefect of discipline, counsellor and other staff? How come that other students are being deprived of their learning because these students refuse to learn. Are these students going to have to put up with these two particular students for the remaining years of their secondary education? How come this resistance about talking to John (mentioned in a previous blog)? He is already known by the psycho-social services that he has problems at home. Can he be supported? Why do I have to fill referral forms when he is already known to them?

A solution needs to be found and quickly. When I stated this opinion aloud, I was met with a wall of silence.