Children in Wales to receive early help with mental health
Monday, September 25, 2017
Primary school children will receive emotional and mental health support as part of a new initiative announced by the Welsh Government.
An investment of £1.4m will be made to introduce specialist child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) to schools as part of a two-year pilot.
Dedicated CAMHS practitioners will be recruited to work with teachers in 28 secondary schools, six middle schools and 190 primary schools in three pilot areas in north-east, south-east and west Wales from the end of 2017.
The initiative aims to provide teachers with on-site advice to help them support pupils experiencing difficulties such as anxiety, low mood, and compulsive self-harm or conduct disorders.
The pilot will run for two academic years, concluding in the summer of 2020. The results will then be evaluated, with the potential for rollout across the rest of Wales.
The Welsh Government says it is currently the only nation in the UK that requires local authorities to provide counselling services in their area for children and young people aged between 11 and 18, as well as pupils in Year 6 of primary school.
In data compiled by the Welsh Government for 2015/16, 11,337 children and young people received counselling services in 2015/16, with nearly half of all referrals coming from school or other education staff.
Welsh health secretary Vaughan Gething said one of the Welsh Government’s key aims was to improve the health and well-being of the people of Wales and take steps to shift the approach from treatment to prevention.
‘One in four people in Wales will experience mental health problems at some point in their lives,’ he said. ‘Getting the right treatment at an early stage, coupled with greater awareness of conditions, can in many cases prevent long term adverse impacts.
‘This unique new initiative we’re unveiling today will see specialist NHS Wales services extend into the classroom. This will ensure children, teachers and others charged with caring for children in our schools receive support to promote good emotional and mental health. It will help identify and address issues early, helping to prevent more serious problems occurring later in life.
‘We hope this initiative will improve accessibility to support services, better address school related stress, and ease pressures on specialist CAMHS by reducing inappropriate referrals. We also hope it will facilitate a wider culture which promotes and values positive mental health and wellbeing within our schools.’
Education secretary Kirsty Williams added, ‘Most young people spend a large part of their time in school, so there is a clear need for teachers to be able to help and support them should they experience difficulties in life, such as anxiety, low mood, compulsive self-harm or behaviour disorders.
‘Through this new initiative, we are making schools places that actively promote positive mental health and wellbeing, providing evidence-based prevention and early intervention where it’s needed.
‘For children and young people, it will enable them to have their problems addressed earlier, before they escalate. For teachers, it will help ensure they feel able and confident in dealing with emotional distress, and know where to go to seek support.’
