· 19-
matters. The value of this guidance and the need to maximise the
opportunities for its development are stressed in teacher education.
The 1979 White Paper on Social Welfare formalised a scheme
2.29
to provide schoolchildren with educational, vocational and personal
guidance as part of an overall objective to reduce or prevent anti-
social or delinquent behaviour. This scheme had already begun on a
trial basis when the White Paper was published and is now being
extended progressively to cover all primary school pupils. The
organisational difficulties which arose at an early stage are
gradually being overcome and the potential benefits of the scheme are
now better understood. Guidance services are provided in primary
schools by Student Guidance Officers (SGOs) former non-graduate teachers
who are given in-service training in the rudiments of social work. The
particular value of this system lies in the SGOs' long-standing
experience of children's problems, which enables them to handle most
cases successfully, in consultation where necessary with teachers and
parents. A referral system enables the SGOs to refer difficult or
complex cases to professional social workers of the Social Welfare
Department (or of recognised voluntary agencies) or, in cases of
behavioural and learning problems, to the educational psychology and
educational counselling units of the Education Department's Special
Education Section. In secondary schools counselling services are
being made available by professional social workers, at present on
the basis of one social worker to approximately 4,000 pupils or 4
schools. These arrangements are designed to help pupils whose
academic, social and emotional development is in jeopardy for
whatever reasons, to assist children to make the maximum use of their
educational opportunity, to develop their potential to the full and