Ivan Lewis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ivan Lewis on 2016-03-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps the Government is taking to promote good mental health among teachers and students.
Mr Sam Gyimah
Good mental health and wellbeing is a key priority for this Government. We have high aspirations for all children and want them to be able to fulfil their potential. Schools should consider how to provide appropriate support to students and staff, along with good teaching to support pupil attainment. We want schools to be able to decide on the best way to do this given their individual circumstances. One of the best ways is as part of a ‘whole-school’ approach. We have taken a range of actions to support them.
We have recently revised and updated our counselling guidance which provides practical, evidence-based advice, informed by experts on how to ensure school based counselling services achieve the best outcomes for all students, including vulnerable children and young people. Having this provision in schools also provides support for teaching staff as they are able to easily and quickly get advice from the counsellor about issues that they are concerned about.
We have also provided schools with other resources including: guidance and age-appropriate lesson plans on teaching mental health in PSHE; guidance on mental health and behaviour; and MindEd, a free online portal which has been developed to enable all adults working with children and young people learn more about specific mental health problems and how to support them.
We are providing opportunities to help young people support each other effectively. We recently launched a suite of peer support activities, which includes a call for evidence for stakeholders, children and young people and funding of up to £1.5m. This includes a new digital innovation fund to develop online reliable, engaging and trusted advice to help young people understand their own and their peers’ mental health.
In addition we are contributing to a £3m joint pilot with NHS England which is testing how single points of contact in CAMHS and schools can secure effective mental health support to pupils.
We are also working closely with the Department of Health on a national campaign to reduce stigma and raise awareness of mental health issues amongst parents and children, which includes resources for schools.
