Detrimental effects of cutbacks to guidance counselling highlighted

Guidance counsellors say the loss of up to 11 hours per week of one-to-one supports for students due to cutbacks must be addressed following a number of suicides and incidents of self-harm.

That is the average counselling time lost in secondary schools that have responded to an audit on the effects of staffing cuts from this year.

Gardaí are investigating bullying messages left for a 15-year-old-girl, before she took her own life in Co Leitrim last week, on the ask.fm website. The anonymous posts form part of inquiries following the death of Ciara Pugsley.