Leeds Beckett University - City Campus,
Woodhouse Lane,
LS1 3HE
Carnegie Centre of Excellence for Mental Health in Schools
Senior Mental Health Lead Training Courses
Facilitated by experts, supported by experienced school leaders.
The Carnegie Centre of Excellence for Mental Health in Schools has worked with over 2,000 schools nationally and internationally supporting schools to develop Senior Mental Health Leads through our training courses and other provision such as the School Mental Health Award.Â
This course has been quality assured for the DfE senior mental health lead training grant.
Depending on your starting point and experience there are 4 level of courses to choose from Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, Expert. Please see further details of our courses below.
BEGINNER
Establishing a whole school approach to mental health; Why study this course?
The position of Mental Health Lead in a school can be one of the most transformational for staff, students, and the wider school community. However, establishing a clear vision can be one of the hardest. By engaging with best practice from school leaders, this course focuses on establishing your mental health provision; how to develop a mental health intent statement (spanning from your school curriculum intent statement); how to establish a policy and interweave it with your other policies; your statutory role as Mental Health Lead, including the new PSHE curriculum; and how to conduct an extensive audit of your current provision. You will develop a holistic approach to mental health and wellbeing spanning universal, specific and targeted provision. We recognise that leaders are incredibly busy and therefore this course is designed to allow you to complete all of the above as part of the training and therefore have real impact. This course is ideal for those just beginning their journey as Mental Health Lead, or for those looking to re-establish their current provision. Hence, you will leave with a transformational vision for your setting, clearly routed in evidence and based upon best-practice from inspirational leaders across the sector.
Who is this course for?
You will be relatively new to leading the mental health provision within your setting. You may have fairly recently (within the past three years) taken up post; you may have moved positions with SLT and be new to pastoral and mental health support. You may be a Vice or Assistant Principal or a Head of Pastoral Care/PSHE lead. It may be that you have done the role for a number of years but that you want to take your provision in a new direction, going back to the basics and implementing new changes.
INTERMEDIATE
Developing a whole school approach to mental health provision requires strategic vision coupled with clear protocols and operational goals. Senior Leads for Mental Health will often already have significant responsibilities in their school setting, often involving leadership of inclusion and safeguarding. This course is therefore focused on helping the lead develop the second tier of support within schools; the selective interventions which are utilised once a mental health issue presents in a student. Following on from the ‘Establishing a whole school approach to mental health’ course, which developed the intent statement, policies and whole school audit needed to assess your current provision, this course is ideal for school leaders who are looking to further develop the in-school interventions they employ. This course will look directly at which scale or observation methods are utilised to assess your current interventions; how school staff interpret the information or observations from or of students, which interventions are available due to budget/regional variation and then how they assess the impact of the interventions. It allow access to school leaders in mental health who will be on hand to help be a critical friend and peer review your current provision as well as provide a clear action plan for any improvements.
This course is for someone who has led pastoral care/inclusion within their setting or in another setting for a number of years. You will already have a good understanding of your current provision, the strengths and areas for development. You will understand the current local and national picture and relevant legislation. You will be looking now to nuance your current provision and develop it further, investigating best practice and developing an evidence-based approach to mental health and wellbeing.
NEW COURSE – SPECIALIST SETTING OR ALTERNATIVE PROVISION
Developing an in-depth whole school approach as Senior Mental Health Lead in a Specialist Setting or an Alternative Provision; why study this course?
Developing a whole school approach to mental health strategy requires vision coupled with clear protocols and operational goals. Senior Leads for Mental Health will often already have significant responsibilities in their school setting, often involving leadership of inclusion and safeguarding. The focus of this course is therefore on the lead developing the second tier of support within schools; the selective interventions which are utilised once a mental health issue presents in a student.
It is at the Intermediate Level, but specifically for colleagues in Specialist Settings or Alternative Provisions. You will develop your intent for your Mental Health and Wellbeing provision, examine the methods used to assess your current interventions; consider how your staff interpret the information or observations from or of students, evaluate the available interventions and assess the impact of these. You will have access to established school leaders in mental health who will serve as a critical friend and support the development of a plan for improvements.
Who is this course for?
This course is for someone who has led inclusion or mental health within their setting or another setting for a number of years. It is specifically tailored for Senior Mental Health Leads working in Specialist Settings or Alternative Provisions. You will understand the current local and national picture and relevant legislation. You will be looking to develop your current provision, investigating best practice and developing an evidence-based approach to mental health and wellbeing.
ADVANCED
Embedding a Strategic Approach as Senior Mental Health Lead
Strategic leadership around mental health means the ability to shape change, not just in your own setting but within your local area using, whilst also being inspired by the latest thinking and playing a leading role in a network of change-makers.
- Suitable for: Colleagues from all phases and settings who are experienced and established senior leads for mental health who have been in post for a number of years and are keen to remain on top of this important agenda and seeking to significantly deepen their leadership.
Expert and system leadership
Who can apply for Senior Mental Health Lead Training?Â
From September 2021 the Department for Education (DfE) will offer a grant to schools / colleges to support them in procuring Senior Mental Health Lead Training. Schools / Colleges can decide who they nominate for the training as every setting’s circumstances are different. The training could be for:
- Headteacher
- Deputy Headteacher
- Member of the Senior Leadership Team (SLT)
- If not a senior leader, an appropriate member of staff, working with colleagues, who is empowered to develop and oversee your setting’s whole school or college approach
Existing Mental Health Leads or someone who has previously had mental health and wellbeing training can still be nominated for this training.
Next steps
- Reserve a place on one of our programmes via our booking form
- Receive further information about our courses and attend one of our webinars via our Expression of Interest form
- Subscribe to the Carnegie Centre of Excellence for Mental Health mailing list
- Join the FREE Carnegie School Mental Health and Wellbeing Leads Community
