THE family of a young girl left traumatised by a bus crash in Co Down last month has criticised the lack of counselling available for pupils.
Emergency services had quickly reacted when a double decker bus carrying 76 pupils from Strangford Integrated College crashed into a field on the way to Bangor.
Four children were taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
It follows a separate incident in Co Fermanagh on Wednesday, where a school bus slid off an icy road but with no serious injuries reported.
Speaking to the Newtownards Chronicle, the man said his 11-year-old daughter still feels unable to travel to commute by bus, and that her school advised him to pay for private counselling as her “anxiety is getting worse.”
By October 25, the Education Authority had issued an update on a multi-agency response to the “distressing experience.”
“Our thoughts remain with all the pupils, their families, and friends affected by this incident,” they said, adding that support would continue to be available “in the coming days and weeks.”
Six weeks later, the Newtownards family have spoken of their frustration after contacting the school about the delays.
“They said they would support us but she still can’t get an appointment but when we last asked, last week they said they would bump her up the queue but they said we might better going privately,” the man said.
He said his daughter had suffered minor facial and back injuries, but her mental health had been more severely affected.
“We’ve decided to pay the £60 per hour to see a private counsellor," he said.
“She just can’t get on the bus. The thought of it makes her feel physically sick, so now her mum and I, and her grandparents, have to take her in the car every day.
“When you’re in the car with her, she’s saying ‘see, the roads are really bad‘ so she’s always thinking about it.”
Any efforts to encourage his daughter to return to the bus, he said, only causes her distress.
“She ends up going to bed in tears and waking up and facing the morning in tears and nausea and feeling physically sick.”
A spokesperson for the Education Authority (EA) said: “Strangford College requested additional counselling sessions last week because the number of referrals for counselling had increased as a direct impact of the bus crash.
“The EA arranged for the HOPE counselling provider to assess the referred pupils and provide additional counselling sessions as required in a timely manner. The EA can confirm that the counselling provider has deployed another counsellor to the school to assist and all pupils have now seen a counsellor for assessment.
“In addition to the HOPE service, Strangford College has also offered a YMCA Targeted Life skills programme to pupils.”
