Mental Health Support

Summary

Over the next five years the NHS will fund new Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs) working in schools and colleges, building on the support already available. The trailblazer sites will be set up in between one-fifth and one quarter of the country by 2023 to 2024. 

These school and college-based services will be supervised by NHS children and young people mental health staff (CAMHS) and will provide specific extra capacity for early intervention and ongoing help. Each designated team will support up to 8,000 children and young people in around 20 schools and colleges in their ‘trailblazer’ area

Wave 1 of the new MHSTs based in and near schools and colleges has started in 25 areas these teams began their training in January 2019 at 7 universities nationwide. East Berkshire did not apply for this wave.  To set up additional trailblazer sites Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) will be invited to express an interest in taking part in programmes.  Expression of Interests (EOI) will be prepared in collaboration with local providers, education professionals and commissioners in the local area.

The wave 2 EOI has been launched the deadline for submission is 24th May, with two planned started dates - Sept 2019 and Jan 2020.

The Department for Education will also fund training for Senior Mental Health Leads (formerly referred to as the Designated Senior Lead for Mental Health but changed to distinguish the role from the Designated Safeguarding Lead)  in schools and colleges to the development of a ‘whole school approach' to mental health and wellbeing.

Context

The 2017 Green Paper for Transforming children and young people’s mental health set out proposals to improve mental health support in schools and colleges. The Department of Health and Social Care and the Department for Education published its Response to the Children and Young People’s Mental Health Green Paper Consultation.

The three key elements of the Green Paper being implemented area:

  1. every school and college will be encouraged to appoint a Senior Mental Health Lead (lead DfE)
  2. creating community-based Mental Health Support Teams, helping children and young people in schools and colleges (lead NHS E)
  3. pilots in a small number of areas to test the feasibility of achieving and maintaining a 4-week waiting time for NHS children and young people’s mental health services (lead NHS E)

How is this programme funded?

  • Health Education England: Provide all training and salary support costs for the new roles and supervisor training during year one for the Mental Health Support Teams
  • NHS England: Provide all project initiation and implementation costs, pay and non-pay costs for the Mental Health Support Teams
  • Department for Education: Provide funding for Senior Mental Health Lead Training

The new Mental Health Support Teams are fully funded. Funding will be allocated to CCGs, once accepted as a trailblazer site. 

The CCG will be rolling out a Free mental health and emotional wellbeing CPD programme for professionals in 2020. To sign up to receive details email cypmhtraining.eastberks@nhs.net.  Please see below attachment to find out more.

Mental Health Updates

Building on the Green Paper, the new early intervention offer will operate under the Thrive model offering advice and signposting, and supporting children, young people and families with Getting Help with emerging mental health difficulties. It will also support families, schools and the local communities with linking into Risk Support and Getting More Help from specialist mental health services when difficulties are acute, severe and/or enduring. The model will work within a Restorative ethos, where we work “with” and not “to” or “for” our communities, partners and service users.

The Early Intervention Team (EIT) should be in post by April 2020 with it being fully operational and working alongside the MHST by September 2020.