Children and young people can now access more mental health services in East Midlands schools. Over 150 Education Mental Health Practitioners have been trained in the Midlands between September 2019 and January 2021.

Children and young people have been uniquely impacted by the pandemic and lockdown, with NHS research suggesting one in six may now have a mental health problem, up from one in nine in 2017. Children and young people’s mental health services have remained open throughout the pandemic, adapting to deliver services remotely where appropriate.

Mental health support teams offer children personal advice and provide families with tips on how to spot when children and young people are struggling with their mental health. The teams also help staff within schools and colleges through training sessions for parents or workshops for teachers.

Nottinghamshire had one of the first teams in the country. It offers early interventions to young people struggling with their mental health, such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, directly within schools. The work is delivered either through personal one-to-one or group workshop sessions. The service aims to provide support for children, young people and families around low-level emotional wellbeing needs, such as anxiety, low mood, managing emotions and sleep. The team has received positive feedback from young people, stakeholders and partners. Each school involved has a member of staff who is a designated Mental Health Lead, who acts as the link between the service and school so they can refer directly into the service.

Sarah Kinsey, Project Lead for the Mental Health Support Team at Nottinghamshire Healthcare Foundation Trust, said: “Since March 2020 we have helped over 400 young people with their mental health and wellbeing on a one to one basis and more through workshops. During the COVID-19 pandemic the service has been running predominantly online and there has been a high uptake from parents at home due to the lockdown. We saw a sharp increase in referrals compared with the previous year. Lockdown has been an opportunity rather than just a challenge. The team members have supported each other during the challenges of the pandemic and built a reputation of a service that is now nationally recognised and was nominated for a Children’s Services Nursing Times Award in 2020.

“During the latest lockdown we have been doing more direct support work with schools themselves and doing a lot of work to keep the children well. There was a lot of parent anxiety about children going back to school and having to have adult conversations with their children about loss. When schools returned in March we did a presentation to a large secondary school in Nottinghamshire with over 200 parents on the call. We have also started to develop a workshop offer to schools which looks at subjects such as sleep.

“We have also seen a high uptake in our staff wellbeing work and because of online technology we were able to do a session to around 150 staff. Each school has a mental health lead and we have a fortnightly session where we support their own wellbeing and also discuss any children whose mental health they are concerned about ahead of a potential referral. You have not got healthy children if you haven’t got healthy teachers so the two go hand in hand in our whole school approach to mental health.”

The service runs in 112 schools in Gedling, Rushcliffe, Broxtowe, Mansfield and Ashfield, Bassetlaw and Newark and Sherwood.

Giles Tinsley, Programme Director for Mental Health at NHS England and NHS Improvement in the Midlands, said: “Our mental health support teams have worked tirelessly and have trailblazed some creative and innovative initiatives that will be rolled out across the country which have made a really positive difference to the health and wellbeing of children and young people. Throughout the pandemic, these teams have continued to work virtually, providing vital support for young people during lockdown.

“Education Mental Health Practitioners, a new workforce trained by universities across the country, form the core of the teams. They work alongside senior therapists to deliver evidence-based mental health support. Their training includes how to ensure help is supportive and inclusive. It also covers awareness of issues that can increase need experiencing trauma and/or disadvantage.

“The NHS England and NHS Improvement regional team is leading local areas through the process. Jointly delivered with the Department for Education and Health Education England, our mental health support teams act as a link with local children and young people’s mental health services and are supervised by NHS staff. The service has never been more needed during these challenging times and is having a hugely positive impact upon children, young people and schools in the region.”

Further plans for the development of children and young people’s mental health care are described in the NHS Long Term Plan and set out in detail for local areas in the Mental Health Implementation Plan.