An exploration of guidance counselling provision in the Youthreach programme

The aim of this research study is to explore guidance counselling provision in the Youthreach programme, and provide insights into the role and the activities of guidance practitioners in meeting the needs of Youthreach students. Across Europe research indicates that there is a need to address the lack of time and staffing allocated to ESL (Hughes and Borbély-Pecze, 2012). Additionally, evidence suggests that to further reduce ESL the role of guidance is critical (CEDEFOP, 2014). Despite this, as recently as 2017 it is still being argued that Youthreach students need more guidance and mentoring than their peers in mainstream schools (Gordon, 2017). An interpretive paradigm was employed and semi-structured interviews were used to gather the experiences of guidance practitioners in Youthreach in this study. Using an interpretive approach enabled the researcher to understand the everyday realities of the professional practice of the participants who deliver guidance counselling in the Youthreach programme (Robson and McCartan, 2016). The research findings demonstrate the varying levels of guidance provision based on funding, allocation of resources, attitudes of management and the location of Youthreach centres. Furthermore, the need to establish more formal supports for both guidance practitioners and Youthreach students is highlighted. The findings conclude that the needs of the students attending Youthreach have to be attended to by appropriately trained staff, as mental health issues in the young people have become more prevalent in recent years. In addition, guidance practitioners in Youthreach need to be supported with continuous training and access to supervision for their long-term self-care. Based on the findings, several recommendations are put forward to inform future policy, practice and research.