All Further Education colleges in Wales are to benefit from a
share of £4m funding for mental health and wellbeing support, the
Minister for Education and Welsh Language, has announced at a visit to
Coleg Cambria during Mental Health Awareness Week.
The £4m will increase the capacity of welfare teams in all FE
Colleges in Wales including recruitment of wellbeing support
officers and will build on the success of previous Welsh
Government funded mental health and wellbeing initiatives such as
counselling support, early intervention training, recruitment of
staff to encourage outdoor activity and projects working with
mental health charities.
Coleg Cambria and Grŵp Llandrillo Menai have used Welsh
Government mental health and wellbeing funding to work with
Public Health Wales to develop trauma informed practice.
Staff have received training to understand how trauma can affect
learners and how to provide appropriate support.
The physical environment of the college has been transformed to
provide wellbeing hubs which provide a calming environment to
promote mindfulness and wellbeing. Information to support mental
health and wellbeing is readily available and wellbeing officers
are on hand to talk to staff and learners.
The trauma informed approach is being rolled out by Public Health
Wales to other FE colleges in Wales thanks to this latest
funding.
Over 1200 learners at Coleg Cambria have benefitted from these
initiatives and over 800 are currently receiving ongoing support.
Since 2020, 11 new staff have been recruited to support the
mental health and wellbeing of both staff and learners in the
college.
During Mental Health Awareness week, staff and learners at Coleg
Cambria are enjoying wellbeing sessions ranging from physical
activities such as basketball, football, spin classes and yoga to
other wellbeing activities including bushcraft, origami and
meeting the assistant dogs, plus owls and falcons. A number
of these activities are supported by local charities and small
businesses.
Minister for Education and Welsh Language, , said:
“It is vital we continue to build on the excellent work taking
place in the FE sector to meet the increase in demand for mental
health support following the pandemic.
“That’s why I’m announcing this extra funding to build on this
existing work and to create new initiatives to support the health
and wellbeing of our learners so that they are ready to
participate in and benefit from learning. Everyone has the right
to a happy education experience.”
Carlie Hughes-Lloyd, the Mental Health and Wellbeing Transitions
Officer at Coleg Cambria, appointed as result of Welsh
Government’s mental health and wellbeing funding, said,
“I was a learner in Coleg Cambria in 2015 and now I've returned
as a member of the wellbeing team. There is such a difference
now. There is much more support available for staff and
learners, it's amazing to see how much has changed. The wellbeing
hubs are a great safe space for everyone and there are specialist
staff to support everyone. I'm privileged to be a part
of the change that's happening and be able to support new
learners with their transition into the college."
Lizzie Stevens, Head of Inclusion at Coleg Cambria said,
“As a college we are committed to providing inclusion for all. We
recognise the barriers our learners face, including mental ill
health.
“With support from the Welsh Government and its Mental Health and
Wellbeing Fund, we are able to provide our learners with timely
and dedicated support, both before and during their time with us.
This is enhanced through our Trauma Informed approaches which
have encouraged us to look at how we interact with
learners. It is also integrated into all of our processes
and policies, reflecting the College’s strategy and values”.
