Activity centre director Sharon Fernee says eight out of nine of her students at the start of this year had mental health issues and needed a small, close-knit learning environment. Photo / Supplied
Activity centre director Sharon Fernee says eight out of nine of her students at the start of this year had mental health issues and needed a small, close-knit learning environment. Photo / Supplied
An activity centre for at-risk teenagers has been closed after a damning report by the Education Review Office.
But ERO says most remaining activity centres are doing a good job and Associate Education Minister Tracey Martin says they are "a good model that can be built on" after years of uncertainty.
The centres take secondary school students who can't fit well into mainstream schools because of either behaviour issues or mental health needs. Most stay for only one or two terms to get the support they need to return to their home schools.
ERO found that the centres are struggling to cope with "an increase in demand for mental health support as more students referred had anxiety issues and sometimes high levels of mental health issues".
Five centres "reported difficulties getting the external support they needed" for these students and some centres refused to accept students with mental health problems.
"We are concerned that students' mental health needs are not being adequately addressed," the agency said.
Each centre can take up to 20 students and is funded for two teachers, who are expected to deal with the students' emotional and behavioural problems as well as design and implement individual education plans.
Neil Watson says South Auckland schools are lucky to have social workers and nurses which they didn't have when activity centres were founded in the 1970s. Photo / Supplied
Ōtāhuhu College principal Neil Watson said the centres were created in the 1970s, but there was less need for them now that schools had social workers, guidance counsellors and alternative education - longer-term facilities that take teens aged 13 to 15 after they have been expelled or "alienated" from mainstream schools.
"We are really lucky in South Auckland. We have a lot of support in schools with social workers, nurses and a lot of extra staff. That was not available even 10 to 15 years ago," he said.
Ōtāhuhu College has closed its activity centre for at-risk teens after a damning ERO report. Photo / Supplied
However the closure of the Ōtāhuhu centre leaves only two activity centres in Auckland - the Auckland Secondary Schools Centre attached to Western Springs College and a Papakura centre run by Papakura High School.
John Rohs says the Papakura activity centre is already "overflowing" and it won't be able to take any students from Ōtāhuhu. Photo / Nick Reed
Papakura principal John Rohs said his centre was already "full to overflowing" with a waiting list and would not be able to pick up any students from Ōtāhuhu.
Auckland Secondary Schools Centre director Sharon Fernee said her centre already served 50 secondary schools in central, north and west Auckland, with students commuting from as far afield as Kaipara, Huia, Pakuranga and Waiheke Island.
They get no transport assistance and Fernee said parents often had to give up their jobs to drive their children to the centre.
The Ministry of Education has approved a $1 million plan (above) to rebuild the Auckland Secondary Schools Centre, run by Western Springs College opposite Bayfield School, Herne Bay. Photo / Supplied
She said students with anxiety problems needed a small centre where they had to relate to only two teachers and a few students.
"At the start of this year, out of nine students, we had eight with mental health issues," Fernee said.
"We had an attempted suicide. We were bandaging kids' arms who were arriving in the morning and not having their cuts covered.
"What is frustrating is the amount of time that it takes to get a counsellor or to get them engaged with one of the mental health services in Auckland.
"Some parents are in denial about the child even needing any help. Sometimes the child themselves is in denial.
"It takes time, so we are often the first person they will talk to, and over time they trust us and we can encourage them to get some help."
Activity centre director Sharon Fernee says eight out of nine of her students at the start of this year had mental health issues and needed a small, close-knit learning environment. Photo / Supplied
A spokesman for Martin, who is reviewing activity centres as part of a disability and learning support plan, said: "The minister is supportive of activity centres – she thinks they're a good model. What she'd like to look at is how that can be built on."
The 14 centres had 172 students between them when ERO visited late last year; 62 per cent were male and 62 per cent were Māori. They cost $3.6 million a year.
WHERE TO GET HELP:
If you are worried about your or someone else's mental health, the best place to get help is your GP or local mental health provider. However, if you or someone else is in danger or endangering others, call 111.
