SHANE Rattenbury has announced a plan to support Canberra’s students.

“The Greens understand that supporting our students and young people is an investment in Canberra’s future,” Shane said.

“The ACT is seeing an alarming growth in rates of youth mental health problems, and schools are often the first place to recognise the issues in young people. We need to make sure every student, in every school, every week of the year can get the help they need.

“A recent Standing Committee Inquiry into youth suicide and self harm found that services are under resourced and struggling to meet the needs of young people seeking their help.

“That’s why the Greens will invest $4m over the next four years to fund mental health services for children and young people. Young people often seek help for the first time when they are at school – and we need to make sure every young can get help when and where they need it, across all sectors.

“The Greens’ plan also included extra educational and learning support for young people with learning difficulties in public schools.

“Right now, too many students are finding themselves needing out-of-school assessments and tutoring to catch up or overcome their learning difficulties.

“We know that each and every student has different needs in the classroom. That’s why we’re investing in a coaching and mentoring model to give hands-on training and support across our schools.

“We will fund more school psychologists for children with learning difficulties so that families are not forced to spend thousands of dollars on getting tests done privately.

“Nothing is more vital to the future of Canberra than the wellbeing of our young people. It’s time to put the community first and give them the support they need.”