A CAMPAIGN has been launched to force Fife Council to overturn the decision to cut all funding to a charity that helps depressed, self-harming and suicidal pupils.

SNP councillor Julie Ford said she was "appalled" at the prospect of losing the Penumbra Youth Project, which has helped youngsters with mental health issues since 2003.

The council has to set its budget this month and wrote to the charity over Christmas outlining plans to cut 100 per cent of the funding, which would see the service lost from next month.

Cllr Ford, who represents Glenrothes West and Kinglassie, said: "I am appalled that this decision has been taken without any consultation with Penumbra, and that no explanation has been offered to the charity as to how or why this decision was reached.”

The issue was thrown into sharp focus by the news that 106 Fife pupils had "suicidal thoughts" in the last two school terms

An online petition has also been launched – at http://chn.ge/1VFWFkA – asking council leader David Ross to reverse the funding decision.

Penumbra offers one day of support per week to all 19 high schools in Fife, providing support around anxiety and stress and acting as a vital early intervention service for young people with emerging mental health problems.

There are fears that closure will increase the burden on already stretched services with the Fife Child and Adolescence Mental Health Services already failing to meet the Scottish Government’s waiting time target of 18 weeks.

Amber Higgins, Penumbra project manager, said: "We provide specialist support to every high school in Fife and I worry what will happen when that help is no longer there for pupils.

“Between last August and December we provided one-to-one support to nearly 500 pupils. The closure of our service will seriously reduce Fife capacity to support young people's metal health.”

Nigel Henderson, Penumbra chief executive, said: "This is precisely the opposite of what Fife Council should be doing to support the mental health of young people.

"We have been providing this service for over 12 years and only last year we redesigned the service at the request of Fife Council to ensure a more targeted approach to mental health and wellbeing in schools.

“Nearly 10 per cent of children aged 5-16 suffer from a diagnosable mental health condition but the problem is many of these conditions go unrecognised and untreated.

"Research consistently shows that identifying mental health problems early offers young people the best prospect of recovery and actually saves public money by drastically reducing the amount of support they need later in life.

“We believe this is an extremely short-sighted move and we will be fighting hard to save the service from closure.”

Fife Council has to come up with savings to plug a £38m hole in the budget for 2016-17 and Carrie Lindsay, head of education and children's services, said last week: “Penumbra have been informed that this funding stream no longer exists.

“It was originally funding from a Change Fund that was expected to develop initiatives that test out new ways of working.

“All funding within the council has been subject to consideration as part of successive budget reductions. This is the implementation of a budget saving from 2015/16.

“Council services and NHS Fife will continue to work with children and young people to support their well-being needs.

Cllr Ford said: "It is astonishing that the Labour-run Fife Council has such obvious disregard for the contribution made by Penumbra in Fife.

"This is at a time when there is increased awareness in mental health, concerted efforts from charities and the Scottish Government to remove any societal stigmas, and when the Scottish Government has just, last month, announced a further £54.1 million to improve access to mental health services, bringing the additional spending to £150 million.”