LEHSS, together with the LCC Educational Psychology service, provide Senior Mental Health Lead training. Our programme has been quality assured by the Department for Education.
Our training programme is designed to equip a member of staff to take a lead role in relation to mental health in the school and influence and drive change in relation to policy, behaviour management and wellbeing support.
The programme is delivered by our team of clinical psychologists, jointly with LCC educational psychologists, and runs over three terms, with two half-day training sessions in each half term of the school year.
The full costs of training are met through the Senior Mental Health Lead grant available from the DfE. Individual schools need to apply for this grant and purchase our training through the government online portal. There are no additional charges to schools in addition to this grant.
Our programme meets the DfE learning outcomes for three of the principles outlined in Public Health England’s (PHE) document “Promoting Children and Young People’s Emotional Health and Wellbeing”: Leadership and management, Identifying need and monitoring the impact of interventions, and Creating an ethos and environment.
The programme consists of three days of training on relational and attachment-based approaches to whole school mental health, assessing mental health needs, developing policy and leadership and strategic influencing, followed by individual and group-based support for the implementation of the training.
What will I learn from this training?
- We will focus on the fundamental importance of relationships through which wellbeing is improved and maintained for both students and their families and for staff colleagues.
- As a result of the training you will understand how to bring a relational and attachment-based approach to all aspects of school life, and see the positive change that this will create.
- You will learn evidence-based methods of assessment and analysis of mental health needs, and ways to develop needs-based intervention plans both for in-school support and to assist in requests for support from external agencies.
- We will enable you to apply evidence-based principles and strategies to help your setting better understand the reasons for mental health difficulties in both students and staff and tools and techniques to lead strategic change in your school through both policy and culture change.
- We will focus on strategic influencing and leadership, equipping you with the theory and skills to lead and drive change in your setting, improving whole school understandings around mental health, reducing barriers to support, and developing whole school policies and processes to best support the wellbeing of students and staff.
- You will have the opportunity to join a supportive peer group of other leads and work together as a community of practice, sharing ideas and successes as you implement learning from the programme.
Who is this training for?
Grant funding is available for one person in each school or college to access this training. The training is aimed at a member of staff who has (or is developing) a lead role within the setting to oversee the wellbeing of students and staff, and who has responsibility for shaping practice, writing policy and driving change in the setting. It is likely that this will be a member of the senior leadership team in the setting.
Our training programme is pitched at the ‘intermediate’ level, which means that we expect learners to have done some basic training in mental health awareness prior to joining. Our course code, which you will need for your application, is SMHL020.
What Is the time commitment?
Our programme consists of:
- Three training days consisting of three half-day online sessions, followed by three half-day face-to-face practical implementation sessions (to be held at either Lancaster University or County Hall Preston). Online sessions will be recorded for on-demand access.
- An audit and action planning tool designed to better understand the needs of your setting and plan actions for implementing change.
- A one-hour individual online coaching session at the end of the training sessions to review and support your action plans.
- A further two-hour online group peer coaching session, with other people from your training cohort, facilitated by LEHSS and EPS staff.
- The option of joining regular online peer supervision and discussion sessions through the next school year with other senior leads to discuss the implementation of your action plans. These sessions will be facilitated by LEHSS staff and will run each half-term.
How is it funded?
The cost of the programme is £800. Schools and colleges will be able to apply for a grant from the Department for Education of £1200 (to cover the cost of the training and backfill cover for training days). Details of how to apply for funding will be announced by the DfE later in the autumn. However, eligible schools and colleges who book places on training programmes with us now will be guaranteed to receive a grant.
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The Lancashire Emotional Health in Schools and Colleges service is dedicated to promoting mental and emotional well-being among students and staff in educational institutions across Lancashire. Our team of experienced professionals, work collaboratively to provide comprehensive support.
By partnering with schools and colleges, we seek to create a positive ripple effect that not only benefits individuals but also contributes to a healthier, more vibrant Lancashire community.