STAFF who work with schoolchildren with a range of social, emotional and mental health issues face losing their jobs.

Bolton Council is to begin a review of its Behaviour Support Service which provides in-class support for youngsters, advice and guidance on exclusions and produces regular reports for head teachers.

The proposals involve reducing the number of support and engagement workers from 16 to seven, including three senior posts.

They are being put forward as schools take up of the Smithills-based service is decreasing.

Schools have reduced their “buy-back” for the 2018/19 financial year by more than £200,000 reducing the council’s income from £769,700 to £552,600.

Cllr Christine Wild, major opposition spokesperson for children’s services said schools were exploring other methods of providing for children with behavioural and mental health issues.

And she added that the drop in income meant that changes to how the service is run became inevitable.

She said: “It will mean job cuts, but if the business isn’t there, then that’s what we have to do. But I think the council is going to look at ways of increasing business to increase buy-back from schools if they can.”

Schools are able to buy packages of 240, 120 and 39 hours, while Ad hoc services can be bought in at a minimum of £750.

Charges have not increased, but Cllr Wild says that a lack of flexibility in how the service is provided may account for schools looking at alternatives, such as “getting together to employ their own behaviour support”

She said: “The number of hours needed can be intermittent, some weeks you need so many hours and the next week something else. It’s whether the flexibility is there from the local authority.

"They would find they were not using all their hours sometimes but other times needed more.”

A council spokesman said: “The Behaviour Support Service provides a range of non-statutory work which schools buy. Reduced demand from schools means we need to review the level of service we provide and we are consulting on our proposals.

“The proposed structure has been designed to be flexible and adaptive in order to continue to meet schools’ needs and support improved behaviour, attendance, emotional wellbeing and mental health outcomes for children and young people.”