Concern has been raised over how the pandemic has affected Perth and Kinross youngsters.
A report put before a Perth and Kinross Council committee last week revealed over 600 Perth and Kinross pupils have received one-to-one counselling support since November 2020.
PKC 's education and children's services chief told councillors "those who were most disadvantaged pre-pandemic have been most impacted negatively by the pandemic".
The issue was raised by a local councillor as PKC 's Scrutiny and Performance Committee discussed the Education and Children’s Services Joint Service Business Management and Improvement Plan (BMIP) 2022/23 at a meeting on June 8.
The report stated counselling had been "embedded as a core support" to pupils over the age of 10 in Perth and Kinross schools. PKC 's Counselling in Schools programme began in November 2020.
Conservative Strathallan councillor Keith Allan asked if PKC had the resources to recover fully or if mental health and behavioural issues affecting young people would be "an ongoing real challenge".
The committee's convener - Independent Strathmore councillor Colin Stewart - said this would be of "high concern to all Perth and Kinross councillors, residents and particularly parents".
Executive director of education and children's services Sheena Devlin said: "We have lots of evidence and research at a national and international and indeed at a very local level that shows us what the impact of periods of lockdown and living through the past two and a half years has had on our children, young people, their families and communities."
She said a "key message" was that "those who were most disadvantaged pre-pandemic have been most impacted negatively by the pandemic". Councillors were told Perth and Kinross Council 's education and children's services team "recognised that very quickly".
Ms Devlin said the council had received "considerable additional COVID monies from Scottish Government and established clear spending plans for those that have been absolutely directed and targeted at those children, families and young people most affected".
A "holistic approach" has been taken supporting pupils "who have found that readjustment of coming back into school very challenging".
Community learning assistants, pupil care and welfare officers and community link workers have helped support over 50 pupils to increase their attendance at school post-lockdown.
Cllr Allan reiterated his point asking what support would be in place to tackle behavioural issues.
Ms Devlin explained the COVID recovery funding was "not just targeted at academic but the personal and social development of young people which would include helping people to manage and regulate their behaviour".
She said behavioural issues "would manifest themselves in many different ways".
Ms Devlin told the committee: "We do monitor very closely and we ask teachers to monitor all of that very closely within each individual school."
The executive director said the education and children's services team would review a range of policies - rather than just behaviour - to "cover a wide range of subjects that would help young people exhibit the best kind of behaviour".
She added: "In terms of the 18,500 young people in our schools we do have a small percentage who do find being at school full-time far more challenging than their peers. And that's where the targeted support would come in for those young people."
Ms Devlin told the committee they would monitor behaviour in a "class by class and school by school and then across different local management groups basis".
She added: "We are very keen to make sure all young people who can be educated in educational settings are."
The report showed there had been a reduction in the number of exclusions as PKC has developed and implemented new guidance "Fostering Inclusion, Reducing Exclusion".
Over the last three years, exclusions have dropped from a rate of 27.3 per 1000 pupils to 13.1 per 1000 pupils.
There has also been a reduction in the number of staff reporting an incident where a child has been distressed, challenging, violent or aggressive. Such incidents have decreased from 1231 staff reports in 2019/20 to 995 for the comparable period in 2021/22. But the report stated "this will continue to be a key priority for further improvement".
