Each local authority and corresponding Primary Care Trusts will work with between three and six secondary schools, as well as their feeder or associated primary schools, to deliver better support for those children who are at risk or are already experiencing mental health problems.
The successful local authorities are; Luton, Norfolk, Suffolk, Leicester City, Lincolnshire, Hackney, Merton, Southwark, Gateshead, Northumberland, Sunderland, Blackburn & Darwen, Blackpool, Bury, Brighton & Hove, Kent, Reading, Leeds, North East Lincolnshire, Coventry, Shropshire, Wolverhampton, Gloucestershire, Swindon, Cornwall.
Kevin Brennan said:
“Good mental health and wellbeing are crucial to ensuring that all our children and young people can learn, achieve and fulfil their potential. Early detection and intervention through schools and nurseries is vital in doing this.
“I would like to congratulate each of the local authorities that will be taking part in these important pilots.
“Each pilot will be implementing innovative ways to ensure a better service to some of their most vulnerable children and families and their success will inform the national roll-out of this project.”
The schools, who have all chosen to be involved in the pilots, will develop innovative approaches to mental health support, bringing together professionals and relevant services to ensure holistic help and support is easily accessible to those children and their families who need it most.
Funding for the pilots will be available as part of the £60 million announced by Secretary of State Ed Balls in July 2007, to promote mental wellbeing in schools.
The pilots will be able to use the funding for:
More practitioners: school based staff (such as learning mentors and family support workers); practitioners with mental health expertise i.e. primary mental health workers, therapists; Voluntary sector providers – to work in and close to schools;
The development and delivery of effective training and support for practitioners.
Each pathfinder will employ a project manager. Further guidance for schools containing more detail on therapeutic interventions will be published in early 2008. The guidance will supplement the Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning (SEAL) programme and will summarise the key findings and emerging evidence from the pilots as well as providing suggestions on interventions which are consistent with the overall SEAL approach.
The pilots will be evaluated to identify successful models of mental health support and the findings will inform the roll-out of Targeted Mental Health in Schools nationally in 2009-10 and 2010-11.
