School psychologists to be seen without parent consent

Pupils will soon have the option to seek assistance from school psychologists without requiring parental consent, thanks to legislation currently being prepared by the Ministry of Education. 

The objective is to encourage children to open up about their issues, thereby facilitating the identification of incidents involving child abuse.

“While having permanent psychologists [placed at schools] would undoubtedly be preferable, for now, we are striving to avoid the necessity of obtaining parental consent. This is because, in many instances, the parent may be the abuser and may withhold permission,” said Domna Michailidou, the country’s deputy minister of education, during an interview on Mega TV on Tuesday.

Researchers have identified biological parents, or a member of the family environment, as the primary perpetrators of child maltreatment. 

kathimerini