The Ministry of Education increases the number of psychologists working in Canary Islands educational centres to eighty for the next academic year, doubling the figure announced in April. The investment also doubles, reaching €4.46 million.
The Ministry of Education, Vocational Training, Physical Activity and Sports of the Government of the Canary Islands has announced that next year it will have eighty educational psychologists to support students in the archipelago, a figure that doubles the 39 professionals initially planned last April. This has been confirmed by the department led by Poli Suárez, which has also doubled the investment allocated to this initiative, which will amount to €4.46 million.
Of these eighty professionals, 72 will be distributed among the 36 Educational and Psychopedagogical Guidance Teams (EOEP) of the islands, with two per team. The remaining eight will be assigned to those EOEP whose affiliated centres have recorded the highest number of activations of the Suicide Risk Intervention Protocol (PIRS) in recent times.
“This is an important commitment from this Ministry to improve the assessment and prevention of disorders and psychological problems that affect the well-being of our students,” said Poli Suárez, who emphasized that the measure “confirms the commitment” of her department to “the care of the educational community in the field of mental health.”
This Thursday, the Deputy Minister of Education, José Manuel Cabrera, and the General Directors of Personnel and Teacher Training and of Curriculum Organisation, Inclusion and Innovation, Mónica Ramírez and David Pablos, respectively, presented to the unions the draft instructions that will regulate the functions of these psychologists, as well as the organisation and operation of the new staff. These instructions will be published soon, once the contributions from the consulted groups, including the two Professional Colleges of Psychology of the islands, are received.
The new educational psychologists will focus on promoting the mental health and emotional well-being of students, and will advise both teachers and families, in line with the well-being and coexistence strategies of the Canary Islands educational system. Their intervention will prioritise students aged between twelve and eighteen, although they may act in other age groups if circumstances require.
Cases of students with suicidal behaviour, including self-harm, suicidal gestures or suicide attempts, as well as those involved in bullying or cyberbullying, and those affected by gender violence or in gender identity processes (trans) will be prioritised.
The psychologists will primarily operate in secondary education institutes (IES), integrated vocational training centres (CIFP), special education centres (CEE) and compulsory education centres (CEO) funded by public funds. They may also intervene in other centres, such as early childhood and primary education centres (CEIP), when necessary.
According to the draft instructions, these professionals will intervene at the request of the centres, prioritising cases based on urgency, severity or ineffectiveness of previous measures. In addition to the requested interventions, they will develop a work plan for prevention, training and coordination among students, teachers and families.
Among their functions, they will promote actions for the psychological and emotional well-being of students, in collaboration with the Guidance staff; provide welcoming and listening spaces for situations of emotional distress; follow up on the cases attended; and collaborate in psychological assessments and referrals to Mental Health units in complex cases.
They will also collaborate in the application of the individual phase of the PIRS, accompany the centres in monitoring its activation, and carry out emotional support actions in situations of bullying, cyberbullying, gender violence and attention to gender diversity. They will coordinate with health services for the therapeutic care of students and keep a record of their actions.
With teachers, they will offer support, advice and training in mental health and emotional well-being, collaborate in the implementation of well-being programmes, especially in centres with vulnerable students, and accompany tutors and teaching teams. With families, they will develop training and prevention activities, guide them on supporting their children, and provide psychological support and coordination with external services.
This measure represents a significant reinforcement in mental health care in Canary Islands educational centres, an area that has gained special relevance following the increase in cases of anxiety, depression and suicidal behaviour among young people. The new psychologists will begin working from the next academic year, and their work is part of the Strategic Plan for the Incorporation of Psychology in the School Environment of the Canary Islands.
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