MS, Cabinet Secretary for
Education: On 24 March, I announced new funding of
over £1.6m to provide additional mental health and wellbeing
support in schools over the next three years.
Working with the Anna Freud Centre, a mental health charity for
children and young people, the funding will introduce the
Strategies for Safety and Wellbeing programme, to learners in
Year 5 and Year 7, to equip them with knowledge, skills and
understanding about mental health, safety and how to access
support.
Complementing their work, today I am pleased to announce
additional funding of £550,000 per year over the next three years
to support the introduction of trauma informed practice in
schools. This builds on current work being led in schools and on
work we pioneered between 2017 and 2020 when we funded the
delivery of Adverse Childhood Experience training which was
delivered to over 600 schools in Wales
Trauma informed approaches have become increasingly valued as a
means of reducing the negative impact of trauma experiences and
supporting mental and physical health outcomes. They build on
evidence developed over several decades and are increasingly
important in school settings to foster safe, stable learning
environments. The approach also has wider benefits for
engagement, behaviour, attendance, and attainment.
At its heart this approach is about building positive
relationships which is central to the work we have pioneered
since 2018 as part of our Whole School Approach to Emotional and
Mental Wellbeing. The new funding will support and add real
value to this work which has already seen almost 97% of all
schools actively planning to meet the wellbeing needs of their
school community. It also supports the Curriculum for
Wales' Health and wellbeing Area of learning and experience in
supporting learners' emotional and mental wellbeing.
The funding will be channelled through Dysgu, the national
professional learning and leadership body for maintained schools
and settings. Dysgu's vision is that every educator in
Wales can access high-quality professional learning and
leadership support which sparks their imagination and contributes
to their professional and personal growth, supporting them to be
their best. Its work is centred around inclusive practice,
working with and within the sector to help promote mental health
and wellbeing, creating the conditions for better, measurable
outcomes for learners.
I have asked Dysgu to work at pace over coming months to procure
the services of a body with the necessary, skills, experience and
ability to deliver a bilingual and equitable offer across all
Wales, so that schools and settings can benefit from this support
as soon as practically possible.
Investing in the mental and emotional wellbeing of our children
and young people is investing in the future. I am confident that
this new funding, together with the funding for the Anna
Freud Centre and the over £13m we provide to support our whole
school approach will make a real difference to the lives and
education of our children and young people.
