Teacher Support Network's 2009 Annual Report was released this week, showing demand for the charity Group’s services increased 84 per cent compared to 2008. It is available here.

Use of the charity’s free, confidential, 24/7 Support Lines saw a 7 per cent increase on 2008, from 12,303 to 14,421.

There was also 92 per cent increase in use of the online InfoCentres, which contain over 1,000 factsheets of advice and information. Use grew from 96,964 to 186,558 in 2009.

There was an increase in advice and support in every area, with the ‘Careers’, ‘Health and wellbeing’ and ‘Personal skills’ categories showing the biggest increases in demand.

The report suggests that the recession is continuing to affect teachers, with a 35 per cent increase in grants awarded across the group in 2009 compared to the previous year (£310,984 compared to £230,437). Money was awarded to teachers experiencing a wide variety of financial difficulties, although ‘priority debt’, in which teachers or their families need urgent financial assistance, represented a higher proportion of grants awarded.

The report also shows that 2009 saw a massive increase in demand for services across the Teacher Support Network Group, with total service use increasing by 84 per cent. As well as services in England, the Group also includes Teacher Support Cymru, the Teacher Support Scotland and the College and University Support Network.

Julian Stanley, Teacher Support Network Chief Executive, said: “We’re pleased that our services have been able to support so many educational professionals across the country, but the figures remind us of how much more work there is to be done.

“In 2010 as well as protecting and enhancing their wellbeing of even more teachers, we hope to focus our activities on enhancing the status in society, helping them to gain recognition for the vital role they play in the lives of young people across the country.”