Guidance is provided to young people in schools and consists of personal and social, educational and career guidance. Guidance is defined as "a range of learning experiences provided in a developmental sequence, that assist students to develop self-management skills which will lead to effective choices and decisions about their lives. It encompasses the three separate, but interlinked, areas of personal and social development, educational guidance and career guidance". (Department of Education and Science; 2005, pg. 4).
The provision of guidance is a whole school activity and the guidance counsellor due to his/her specialist training in guidance counselling has a key role in leading, co-ordinating and delivering the school guidance programme in association and collaboration with members of school management and other staff.
A whole school guidance programme plan presents the range of guidance activities offered to all students in line with students' needs and school resources. Not all students will require one-to-one inventions throughout their five/six years in second level education. However, for those that do, the school's guidance plan outlines how the needs of these students will be met. Students' guidance needs are met through whole school guidance counselling activities (classroom career learning and development programmes), through group-work and individualised approaches.
Students who require individual meetings to support their career learning and development, and who are making important transitions (such as transition to first year, senior cycle, further/higher education and training) are provided with opportunities to have one-to-one meetings with the guidance counsellor.
