This story was first published in digitalhealth.net
£1.3m scheme puts NHS trust mental health practitioners in Barnsley schools
South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust staff are being embedded in secondary schools across Barnsley in an initiative to tackle poor mental health among children.
The scheme, funded by Barnsley Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), is being delivered in all 10 Barnsley secondary schools run by Wellspring Academy Trust, which operates schools across Yorkshire and Lincolnshire.
Mental health nurses will work with young people while trained counsellors will work with parents and carers. Teaching staff will also receive mental health training to help identify those in need of support.
The MindSpace initiative was piloted during the past academic year and supported over 200 young people including 63 parents before it was scaled up for next year.
The new approach bypasses waiting lists for traditional mental health services which have experienced rising demand and insufficient capacity. It allows schools to tackle problems quickly and links mental health professionals, educators, families and young people in a new way.
Early intervention has been proven to reduce exclusion rates, minimise family disruption and stem educational failure.
Mark Wilson, CEO of Wellspring Academy Trust, said: “MindSpace is the first step towards changing the whole culture around mental health and education.
“We need to make it much easier for children to talk about mental health and seek support. This step change takes ambition but with multi-agency collaboration it’s entirely possible and we owe it to young people to make this happen.
“We listened to young people during the pilot of this project and they overwhelmingly told us they want access to mental health professionals.
“By working in partnership with the CCG, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAHMS) and local education authority, we can significantly reduce the pressure on families, schools, social services and the youth justice system. The benefits are far-reaching for everyone concerned.”
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