School social work in crisis mode: young people need more support!

School social work in crisis mode: young people need more support!

In Austria, students fight more than ever with mental stress. The school social workers face enormous challenges. Marion Schneider from the Institute Ko.m.M. In St. Pölten emphasizes: "We are generally in a multi-crisis period. The consequences include anxiety disorders, depression or eating disorders." The support is often only available to a limited extent. Only three to four hours of advice per week are available for a elementary school with 100 to 150 children. Schneider explains that acute problems such as bullying are mainly treated here, but preventive measures are neglected. However, this situation could change, because the Ministry of Education has intended to increase the number of aspiring school social workers in order to better meet the increasing demand in federal schools, as can be seen from a statement.

support for pupils with disabilities

The essential aspects of the decree are that only students in public schools who are financed by the federal government have access to these support services. Private schools are excluded unless they have public law. These investments in the support of students with disabilities are intended to ensure that the diversity in the education system can actually be lived. During the application permit and assigning the required assistance services, the educational directorates and the Ministry of Education are involved in order to provide the necessary resources. The comprehensive support for pupils with disabilities therefore not only has an integrative, but also a central role in the further development of the education system in Austria, as the Ministry states.

These developments were among others from noe.orf.at and bmbwf.gv.at reports what the urgency of these topics again underlines.