Item 14 Appendix 4
West Dunbartonshire Council · 24 June 2026
Back to Educational Services Committee — 24 June 2026 and its agenda
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Children and Young People’s Mental Health Report April 2025 – March 2026 School Counselling and Community Mental Health and Wellbeing Supports and Services Please return the completed template by 30th April 2026 to CYPCommunityMentalHealth@gov.scot (cc Hannah.Axon@cosla.gov.uk) Name of Local Authority West Dunbartonshire Council School Counselling The data provided below will inform on use of the access to counsellors in schools service as well as the outcomes for children and young people accessing counselling through schools. Your return should relate to counselling provision made, including not yet completed, in the period from 1st April 2025 to 31st March 2026. Please reply to all tables using numbers rather than percentages. Access and Outcomes Erskine Crisis Lifelink Child & Adolescent Therapist Togetherall *Togetherall is a 16+ service therefore age ranges below are n/a Total Total number of children accessing counsellors 146 418 55 35 new registrations 48 active members 702 Number of female pupils accessing counsellors* 89 274 34 16 413 Number of male pupils accessing counsellors* 57 135 21 12 225 Number of Non- binary pupils accessing counsellors* - 3 - - 3 Number of pupils accessing counsellors that prefer not to say* - 4 - - 4 Other - 0 - 7 7 Appendix 4
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Number of children in P5 accessing counsellors - - 2 n/a 2 Number of children in P6 accessing counsellors 50 0 4 n/a 54 Number of children in P7 accessing counsellors 31 0 5 n/a 36 Number of children in S1 accessing counsellors 13 112 9 n/a 134 Number of children in S2 accessing counsellors 17 106 6 n/a 129 Number of children in S3 accessing counsellors 14 82 11 n/a 107 Number of children in S4 accessing counsellors 16 66 6 n/a 88 Number of children in S5 accessing counsellors 5 44 1 11 61 Number of children in S6 accessing counsellors - 8 6 14 School leavers/ college - - 5 24 29 Number of children who have reported an improved outcome following access to a counsellor By an appointed counsellor using a Young Person Clinical outcomes in Routine Evaluation (YP-CORE) or a Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) or another measure 52 to date. Therapy still in progress and 19 non engagement. 20 new start with no feedback data yet. 373 improved YP-CORE score 32 78% stated Togetherall was helpful for their mental health. Togetherall is not a treatment model service therefore, outcome measures cannot be gathered. Togetherall capture a helpfulness rating from members. 457 (Togetherall not included)
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Reasons for Presenting Exam Stress / School Issues 28 Self-Harm 56 Trauma 40 Depression / Low Mood 125 Bereavement 57 Anxiety /Stress 362 Gender Identity / Sexuality 24 Emotional / Behavioural Difficulties 39 Substance Use by Self or Family 3 Body Image / Eating Concerns 31 Distress 20 Anger 71 Isolation / Loneliness 19 Family Relationships / Home Issues 98 Emotional Literacy 10 Self-Esteem / Confidence 78 Social Interaction / Peer Relationships 79 Resilience 6 Physical Health 15 Bullying 39 Support for Parents 24 Poverty / Homelessness - Cognitive / Learning 8 Routine / Boundaries 10 Neurodevelopmental 44 Suicidal Thoughts/self harm 14 Sleep 94 Violence / Abuse 27 Fears / Phobias 5 Social Media Bullying 6 Living & Welfare - OCD 10 Personality Problems 3 Other 5 Erskine 23 Lifelink ** This is the information which is reported to the counsellor or service as the reason(s) for accessing counselling services. It is not intended to imply or reflect diagnosis of mental health condition or needs. Instead, it is to be used to understand the reasons why pupils are seeking support from counselling services. Multiple reasons can be recorded for each individual accessing services. The summary reports set out information on the wide range of reasons that children and young people have reported for using counselling services. It would be helpful if these could be used consistently – as indicated above, please add rows to include those reasons or new reasons which have not previously been reported. Any Additional Information If there is any additional information that you wish to report, please provide it here. This may include particular themes, patterns or information not able to be captured above. For example, reflections on demand / capacity or any additional training requirements. Erskine Crisis In this period there has been a significant rise in Primary 6 and 7 pupil particularly affected by social media chat groups, promoting coercion and exclusions thus impacting self-esteem, confidence and communication. It has been identified by referrer or through wider interaction with parents and guardians, that in some cases young people provide a more caring role within the family than the adults do due to working patterns, family and financial pressures, physical and mental health capacity. When these concerns have been identified by school at referral point, we monitor presenting and potential risk factors, assess additional and appropriate support needs and overall impact on the young person. We support improvements in, communication, functioning of roles and
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responsibilities that benefit all, whist focusing on overall wellbeing indicators to help pupils. We continue our focus on early interventions, tailored therapeutic support, family collaboration and inclusion in goal setting and change development. This session there have been 42 parent/carer/ family members accessing the support. These result in improvements in family system, communication and functioning as a healthy system that benefits all whist focusing on overall wellbeing indicators. There has been a significant drop in referrals relating to gender issues this year but increase on the negative impact of unmonitored social media and chat groups in the P6 and P7 groups in particular. There was a negative uptake in 19 referrals, mainly due to parent limited co-operation and many referrals just started, so there is no accurate reporting data to date. There is marked improvements showing for those who have benefitted from early access. This is recorded via feedback by school, parent, young person and on YP Core10. In this period, 2 were transferred over to CAMHS as there had been pre-existing referral on waitlist and one to Social Work Disability Team, due to increased risk to child welfare and child protection in place. There is also a reduction in exam stress mainly due to support given by schools in helping young people in achievement, including collaboration with services like ours to re-engage young people in school and enhancing attainment. Erskine Crisis provide 300 hours of counselling annually to West Dunbartonshire Educational Services. Lifelink Across the reporting year, the number of young people who engaged in counselling with more than 2 sessions decreased from 489 in 2024–25 to 418 in 2025–26. Despite this reduction in engagement numbers, total referrals remained consistent year on year; 450 compared with 449, suggesting continued demand for the service. Age distribution of clients remained consistent to what we have seen during previous reporting years, with the highest referrals occurring among 12–15-year- olds. Gender patterns showed female referrals continued to account for the majority of presentations, although there was a slight increase in male referrals in 2025–26 from 129 during the previous year to 148. Referrals recorded as “other/unknown” remained low with 2.2% of all referrals. Outcome data demonstrates consistent and slightly improved impact during the last reporting year. Average starting CORE scores decreased marginally from 17.6 in 2024–25 to 17.0 in 2025–26, indicating a slightly lower level of distress at referral stage. Average ending CORE scores also improved year on year (from 11.6 to 10.7). As a result, the average CORE improvement during reporting year Apr25 – Mar26 increased from 6.0 to 6.3, so the service continued to deliver strong and measurable improvements in emotional wellbeing. Anxiety and stress have remained the most prevalent presenting issue. Depression, self-esteem, self-harm, and sleep issues all showed slight year-on- year decreases. There were small increases in certain lower volume presenting issues, including eating disorders, addiction, and witnessed violence/aggression.
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Measuring Outcomes – Core Improvement As per contract obligations, Lifelink deliver 11.5 days counselling service per week across the 5 West Dunbartonshire Secondary schools and Choices Programme. This works out at 2.3FTE. Child & Adolescent Therapist Many young people presented with multiple overlapping reasons for attending CAMHS. The total number of young people who engaged in a therapeutic intervention across a number of sessions (3-23 sessions in the given period, which sometimes included an initial Choice assessment) was 29. The 26 other young people attended the service for 1- 2 sessions either for an urgent Choice assessment or because they did not require therapeutic intervention for another reason (i.e. natural improvement of symptoms/ improved outcome following brief intervention). Togetherall Togetherall is a clinically governed, 24/7 digital mental-health service that allows young people to access support anonymously whenever they need it. It extends the reach of local services by offering a safe, regulated online space for those who may not engage with traditional support. As an on-demand, point-of-need resource, Togetherall empowers members to use peer support and clinically developed tools to manage their wellbeing early and proactively. The service also provides a vital safety net through continuous moderation, clinical oversight, and established risk-management processes. Togetherall maintains a duty of care to respond to crisis presentations on the platform, with dedicated risk and case-management pathways agreed with West Dunbartonshire at implementation. Togetherall gives members flexible, personalised support through a range of clinically designed tools — including peer support, self-assessments, evidence-based courses, journaling, visual expression, and access to clinicians — helping them better understand and manage their mental health. The service is available 24/7, ensuring support is accessible outside regular hours and at times when vulnerable groups may need it most. Togetherall is not a treatment service therefore data metrics align to early intervention/prevention by providing anonymised reporting on uptake, usage patterns, and population-level insights. Below is a snapshot of how the service is being used in West Dunbartonshire across the 16-25 year old age bracket only, the issues members are presenting with, and the resources they are engaging with: • 35 new registrations to the services in the reported time frame, 48 returning users from West Dunbartonshire (returning users – a member that has previously registered outside the reporting time frame but used the platform within the reported time frame) • 15 young people disclosed at point of registration they had experienced thoughts of self-harm or suicide.
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• 91% of young people in West Dunbartonshire rated their own mental health as poor or very poor at point of registration. • 21 young people were not accessing any other form of mental health support at point of registration to Togetherall – 1 would rather not say. • 56% of West Dunbartonshire members received direct support from a licensed and registered Togetherall clinician. • 1 x external escalation required – a young person presenting in serious risk on the platform (immediate risk to self) and was escalated to the appropriate crisis services by Togetherall’s Senior Clinical team. • 4 members were living alone or as a single parent. • 4 identified as a student, 10 unemployed or unable to work due to disability. • 66% of access occurred outside traditional hours (9-5pm) when other services are limited. • Average number of completed activities per member – 27. A high engagement in multiple clinical tools on the platform, helping to demonstrate the desire and need for young people to access tools to support their own mental health, even in just one log in to the platform. • 86% of members logging in twice or more, demonstrating a desire for more long term supports. • 78% of West Dunbartonshire members found Togetherall helpful for their mental health. Togetherall’s core service is to provide peer to peer support via online community, moderated by registered and licensed professionals 24hours a day, 7days per week and 365 days per year. Each post created by a member is categorised. The data below evidences the topics discussed to understand what West Dunbartonshire young people are help seeking for: Togetherall provides evidence based, online courses based on CBT principals.9 courses had been enrolled on, including:
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In summary, Togetherall data shows Togetherall is reaching young people in West Dunbartonshire who are experiencing significant mental-health challenges, many of whom are not accessing any other form of support, engaging those at higher risk and providing an essential early-intervention pathway. Togetherall is reaching those young people who may be socially isolated or facing additional vulnerabilities, including those living alone, single parents, unemployed young people, and outside education support mechanisms. Importantly, 66% of all activity occurs outside traditional service hours, demonstrating Togetherall’s role in providing safe, clinically moderated support at times when no other services are available.
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Community Mental Health and Wellbeing Supports and Services The tables below refer to supports and services provided in whole or in part through the funding your local authority has received in relation to Children and Young People’s Community Mental Health and Wellbeing Supports and Services. Your return should relate to supports and services delivered in the period from 1st April 2025 to 31st March 2026. Please reply to all tables using numbers rather than percentages. Numbers accessing supports and services Number of children and young people accessing Gender of children and young people accessing Male Female Other Age of children and young people accessing Primary Secondary Post-school Number of family members and carers accessing Outcomes after using supports and services Number of people reporting an improved outcome Reasons for Presenting*** Exam Stress / School Issues Self-Harm Trauma Depression / Low Mood Bereavement Anxiety Gender Identity / Sexuality Emotional / Behavioural Difficulties Substance Use by Self or Family Body Image / Eating Concerns Distress Anger Isolation / Loneliness Family Relationships / Home Issues Emotional Literacy Self-Esteem / Confidence Social Interaction / Peer Relationships Resilience Physical Health Bullying Support for Parents Poverty / Homelessness Learning Support Routine / Boundaries Neurodevelopmental Suicidal Thoughts Sleep Violence / Abuse Fears / Phobias Other (please specify if possible) *** This is what is reported to the service as the reason for accessing support. It is not intended to imply or reflect diagnosis of a mental health condition or need. Instead, it is to be used to understand why people are seeking support. Multiple reasons can be recorded for each individual accessing a service. Any Additional Information
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Frequently Asked Questions Who should be counted in the data? - People who are accessing or have accessed services funded through the above streams over the data collection period. - It is recognised that some people may have accessed support during both this reporting period and the last. Please include them in the reporting for this period so that any outcomes achieved can be understood. - Where people are accessing or have accessed both school counselling and community services during the data collection period, please ensure they are included in both counts. - Where funding has been used to enhance a service (this is particularly relevant to the community services), please provide your best estimate as to how many people have been able to access this service as a result of the additional funding. - If a person has not provided all the data requested, they should still be included in the totals where possible. - An unwillingness or inability of a service user to provide information should not impact their access to support. What outcomes do I report? - It is recognised that different systems will be in place to measure outcomes with the tools used being appropriate to the locality, service and individual. Please include the number of people who have reported outcomes according to the system used locally. Data Usage - Collation of the local authority reports will be used by the Scottish Government and COSLA to understand progress in the area of children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing. Aggregate data may be published (see summary reports).
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