Supporting educators to improve mental health provision in schools

Mental health and Covid

The types of mental health issues we see across our provision ranges. Some of our young people experience anxiety, low mood, and suicidal ideation, eating disorders, OCD, and I would say that some of these have absolutely been exacerbated in the last couple of years due to COVID.

So, some of our learners who perhaps really struggled to leave the house and be around other people and social anxiety, they then had sort of locked down and for some that was really good because all the pressures were taken off them. But for some it went the other way and it actually escalated existing feelings of being isolated, lonely, unable to engage with anyone else.

Young people with OCD and germ phobias, obviously this has been a really horrific time, and anyone with any sort of sensory difficulties as well. I think those are the issues that we're supporting young people with. 

Good mental health provision needs to be supportive without stigma and discrimination, and knowledge based. It’s about ensuring safe, supportive, nurturing, caring, mental health well-being is embedded in everything we do. And what we really need to be doing is preparing to send them off into the wide world as resilient young people who have the capacity to talk about their mental health openly and confidently.

A team approach

I'm very passionate about staff wellbeing and I'm quite outspoken about it. A few years ago we went through Carnegie’s School Mental Health Awards with Leeds Beckett. Building the staff wellbeing was a huge part of that. 

Culturally, we are open, honest, supportive and that can be seen in our daily briefings, or our open-door policy for management. We also have daily debriefings, because it's very important for me that people just leave their work behind and go home. We signpost and provide 24 hour support for supervisions and referring on if staff need further mental health support themselves.

Training is so important to help staff feel confident and supported in what they're delivering, and I also think it’s really important to model this to our learners. We're demonstrating how mental health should be viewed, reducing stigma, accessing support, talking openly, and treating your mental health and wellbeing as a priority. I think it's really important we do this well, and that they know there are workplaces that will do that for them as we do.

Senior Mental Health Lead training

We chose the Carnegie Centre because we did the School Mental Health Award previously through them and I found them hugely supportive. I liked the way the courses were delivered and the materials had such a great mix of reading, discussion forums, further signposting, further reading and videos, and then having the mentoring and the coaching as well. 

I really want to find out about local schools and colleges who have done these courses and set up some sort of networking between us, because I think it's really important to network and share best practice to address mental health needs and wellbeing, and make sure it remains a priority within our community and for our young people.