Charity Fegans is embarking on a major recruitment drive to tackle the growing waiting lists of children and young people who have been referred for counselling.
Fegans, which provides professional counselling services in its schools and centres across London, the South East and Oxford, is very concerned about the delays children have suffered in accessing the support they need while schools were closed. Roughly three children in every classroom already has a diagnosable mental health disorder* while a recent survey** revealed that 80% of young people with an existing mental health problem found the coronavirus pandemic had made their mental health “much worse.”
Now schools have reopened, counsellors are beginning to see children face-to-face again, but with an additional 200 children recently joining its waiting lists, Fegans says it needs to expand its services to meet those in need. So it is actively looking for more counsellors to work in its schools and centres in the South East and Oxfordshire.
“Sadly we are seeing a huge increase in the demand for counselling and the reality is that many children are suffering whilst waiting for help. Parents are desperate to access support for their children and we do not want to turn anyone away. If you are a qualified counsellor and you are interested in joining our team, we would love to hear from you,” says Fegans CEO Ian Soars. “Fegans is on a mission to make sure no child waits, and we are looking people to join us on this mission.”
Fully-qualified counsellors who are registered with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy who are interested in working for Fegans can find out more on www.fegans.org.uk/counsellors or email tbarham@spurgeons.org. Flexible hours are available.
If you would like to refer a child for counselling please visit www.fegans.org.uk/referrals or call 01892 538288. Bursaries are available for those who are unable to meet the full cost of therapy.
Ends.
*Based on 12.8% of 5-19-year olds being identified as having a diagnosable mental health condition. https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/mental-health-of-children-and-young-people-in-england/2017/2017
**Survey of 2,036 young people carried out by the charity Young Minds between Friday 6th June and Monday 5th July 2020. https://youngminds.org.uk/media/3904/coronavirus-report-summer-2020-final.pdf
Note to editors:
For further information from Fegans please contact Anna Dunbar or Ann-Marie Fisher 01892 538288 or anna.dunbar@fegans.org.uk or annmarie.fisher@fegans.org.uk
About Fegans:
Celebrating its 150th year anniversary this year, Fegans is a Christian charity that has continually delivered care to children and families according to the needs of each succeeding generation. Today, we counsel children and provide parent support, intervention and training. Combining these disciplines gives Fegans the opportunity to work with families holistically…counselling the child, supporting the parent. www.fegans.org.uk