By Charlotte Webster-
More than 150 education mental health practitioners have been trained in the Midlands between September 2019 and January 2021, benefiting schools more significantly than other parts of the UK.
NHS research suggests since the pandemic and lockdown one in six children and young people may now have a mental health problem – up from one in nine in 2017.
Children and young people’s mental health services in the West Midlands were open throughout the pandemic, and were quite adaptable, researchers in the West Midlands have confirmed to this publication
Mental health support teams also ran text services offering advice or providing families with tips on how to spot when children and young people are struggling with their mental health.
The teams also helped staff within schools and colleges through training sessions for parents or workshops for teachers.
Staffordshire was one of the first pilot trailblazer sites, supporting more than 60 schools in Stoke-on-Trent and North Staffordshire, The Eye Of Media.Com has learnt.
The team provided additional support to teachers including training and attending assemblies, parent’s evenings and any additional meetings and events that the educational provider felt would be beneficial.
Teachers and mental health leads in the schools now describe the mental health support team as ‘part of the team’, extending an invitation into schools even during the most difficult of Covid-19 lockdowns, as they recognised the support that the service offered to both teachers and pupils and how the team enhanced the offer the schools could provide during these very challenging times.
Representatives of St. Thomas More Catholic Academy in Stoke-on-Trent said that being part of the trailblazer project has transformed the provision of mental health support that they are able to offer within the school.
Claire Consterdine, mental health support team manager for north and south Stoke, said: “My team is amazing, it really is. Team members completed their training year then were launched into practising in a very different way just as they qualified.
Commitment
“They do what they are trained to do and do it well, then they add commitment, compassion and empathy all the while keeping the child at the centre helping them to thrive.
“The frontline has been mentioned a lot over the last 12 months and for children’s wellbeing and mental health it’s us and will be for a long time to come, and we are ready.”
Giles Tinsley, programme director for mental health at NHS England and NHS Improvement in the Midlands, said: “Our mental health support teams have worked tirelessly and have trailblazed some creative and innovative initiatives that will be rolled out across the country which have made a really positive difference to the health and wellbeing of children and young people.
“Education mental health practitioners, a new workforce trained by universities across the country, form the core of the teams. They work alongside senior therapists to deliver evidence-based mental health support.
“Their training includes how to ensure help is supportive and inclusive. It also covers awareness of issues that can increase need experiencing trauma and/or disadvantage.
“The NHS England and NHS Improvement regional team is leading local areas through the process. Jointly delivered with the Department for Education and Health Education England, our mental health support teams act as a link with local children and young people’s mental health services and are supervised by NHS staff.
“The service has never been more needed during these challenging times and is having a hugely positive impact upon children, young people and schools in the region.”
Wider Access To Mental Health Support
Over a million children are to be provided with access to mental health support in school as the NHS expands its services to help young people cope with the significant disruption caused by the pandemic.
Teams of experts are offering support to children experiencing anxiety and depression in a bid to prevent problems escalating into serious mental health issues that continue into adulthood.
NHS England says approximately 400 mental health support teams will be up and running across 3,000 schools in England and they will offer support to almost three million pupils by 2023.
The £79 million Government funding for children’s mental health services confirmed in March is being used to accelerate the rollout of mental health support teams in schools.