Mental Health Support

TFS are delighted to have been working with the Mental Health Support Teams (MHST) since March 2021 when we were successfully accepted as a pilot school.

We have referred significant numbers of students who have benefitted from this service. We have worked with the MHST to do an annual Mental Health Audit, they have supported delivering 1:1 sessions, workshops for students and parents, delivered assemblies and supported with our core studies programme. We also use the MHST to support with the year 6 into 7 transition process.

SO WHAT ARE THE MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT TEAMS?

Mental Health Support Teams (MHST) have been created to offer early intervention, low intensity, mental health support within schools for children and young people with mild to moderate mental health difficulties. The MHST will also support the Mental Health Lead (Miss York at TFS) to develop a Whole School Approach to wellbeing.

The MHST will also offer support and advice to education setting staff to identify the most appropriate services for their need and help liaise with other appropriate services.

The purpose of the MHST is to improve the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people and is driven by the Green Paper ‘Transforming Children and Young People’s Mental Health Provision’ (www.gov.uk)

THE MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT TEAM (MHST) that supports TFS are:

• Tim Cox- Clinical Lead
• Laura Thompson- Mental Health Practitioner (OT)
• Lucy Jeffrey- Mental Health Practitioner
• Dorothy Cruickshank, Emma Reynolds, Janviere Niwemugore – Education Mental Health Practitioners (EMHP)
• Sarah Pangbourne- Assistant EMHP
• Laura Cole – Cognitive Behavioural Therapist / Team Lead

WHAT ARE EDUCATION MENTAL HEALTH PRACTITIONERS?

Education Mental Health Practitioners (EMHPs) are part of the government’s MHST plans for schools to provide mental health early intervention support for children and young people. EMHPs are currently training at Northampton University and will be at University 2 days a week whilst working 3 days a week in schools to gain qualification and experience. This phase is the ‘trainee phase’. During this time, they will build up their experience through individual, group and whole school work with pupils, families and staff.

SUMMARY OF THE TRAINEE EMHP ROLE

EMHPs have a clear criteria to support low level (low intensity) mental health needs such as low mood, anxiety and phobias through short term pieces of work (4-8 sessions). EMHPs will be able to provide assessments, evidence based individual and group pupil work, shared decision making with pupils, family parenting groups, onward signposting to other teams and services and whole school projects.

The interventions offered will be CBT informed and robust clinical supervision is offered to all practitioners within the MHST.

• Trainee EMHPs will receive weekly clinical supervision from a supervisor to be able to discuss their cases
• Informed consent will be required from children, young people and parent/carers
• As part of their training and supervision, trainee EMHPs will be required to video their sessions, the recording will be used for training and supervision requirements only and consent for this can be taken away at any point and will not affect the intervention offered the child, young person, or parent/carer
• All interventions will be recorded on SystmOne, which is our health electronic record system
• All MHST staff have enhanced DBS checks

WHAT CAN TRAINEE EMHPS CAN SUPPORT WITH?

There are many things EMHPs can help with here at TFS, where needs are more complex, they may need to refer a young person onto another team or service that is better placed to help. 

The below table shows the types of presentations EMHPs can help with, things they may be able to help with (with discretion and under close supervision), and things they won’t be able to help with.

HOW TO REFER

Referrals will be made by Miss York following the current pathway for emotional health and wellbeing needs for Children and Young People via the Referral Management Centre (RMC). The RMC provides a single point of access for professionals to make referrals into children and young people’s specialist community health services. The RMC aims to manage all referrals to ensure that children and young people are seen by the right person, with the right skills at the right time. (https://www.nhft.nhs.uk/camhs)

EMHPs will meet students at TFS in an appropriate and confidential room. All sessions are currently face to face.

WHAT NEXT

If you think your child would benefit from this service and you would like to discuss a referral then please contact your house team or Miss York kyork@theferrers.org to initiate a conversation.