Two thirds of schools yet to have mental health lead

Two thirds of school leaders have reported that they do not have a trained lead professional in mental health in their schools.

The Pupil Mental Health Crisis Survey 2017 of more than 600 school leaders found that two thirds said that there is still no dedicated staff member in their school who is trained in, or given responsibility for, pupils’ mental health, despite the government’s pledge to provide mental health first aid training to schools.

Sixty one per cent of respondents said that they do not feel trained enough to support pupils who may be suffering with a mental health problem.

Virtually all school leaders said increased funding is needed in schools to tackle the increasing number of children and young people experiencing mental health difficulties. While 97% said more funding must be made available, 83% said that mental health issues amongst pupils have increased in the past five years.

The survey conducted throughout November 2017 in partnership with The Carnegie Centre of Excellence for Mental Health in Schools found:

  • 86% of respondents agreed that social media has directly impacted pupils’ mental health, with 89% adding that parents should restrict the amount of time their child spends on the internet.
  • 93% of school leaders called on the Department for Education to release more guidance on how to tackle the growing issue of pupils’ mental health.
  • 77% said schools' mental health provision should be reviewed during inspections.

The government recently launched a green paper on transforming children and young people’s mental health provision and the report urges school leaders to contribute to the consultation, which closes on 2 March 2018. You can find more here.

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