The government has announced that every secondary school in the
country will be offered mental health first aid training and that
new trials will be conducted to look at how to strengthen the
links between schools and local NHS mental health staff. It also
says there will be a review of children and adolescent mental
health services across the country, led by the Care Quality
Commission, to identify what is working and what is not, and a
new Green Paper on children and young people’s mental health.
Malcolm Trobe, Interim General Secretary of the Association of
School and College Leaders, said: “We look forward to
seeing the detailed plans for mental health first aid training
and what funding is being allocated to this initiative. While
some element of mental health training may be helpful in schools,
this is a highly complex area and the biggest problem that
schools face is accessing the local specialist NHS services that
some children desperately need. Many schools already provide
their own support on-site, and do a very good job despite limited
resources, but they often face serious difficulties in referring
young people to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services.
There is simply not enough provision – and families face
excessively long waiting times. Local mental health services are
a vital lifeline for young people who need specialist help. The
government’s plans have to be backed up with the funding needed
to better support the provision of mental health services both in
and outside school.”
The Association of School and College Leaders and the National
Children’s Bureau conducted a survey last year which revealed a
rising tide of mental health issues among young people and a
serious gap in specialist care beyond the schools gates. The
findings can be read here.
