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Introducing SAFE steps for Mental Health Support for Children and Young People in Staffordshire.

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Introducing SAFE steps for Mental Health Support for Children and Young People in Staffordshire.

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The childrens and young people’s mental health support pathway old map is no longer in use and has been replaced with SAFE.

We now have simple SAFE steps to follow, linking to the online resource that outlines the support available for children and young people, and how to access it, including:

Local services and referral routes for getting help and more specialist support

Advice and activities to promote wellbeing

Digital tools and apps for young people

Follow the SAFE steps for mental health support to find the right help at the right time.

Things to do:

·        Remove the old pathway map and replace with the new poster

·        Display the poster and if you have screens you can display the digital poster

·        Share the updated webpage.  Staffordshire Connects website.

·        Share SAFE with your networks, include in your newsletters and on your website, so everyone can see how to access support and advice.

You can view the pathway, download the poster, and also access the SAFE digital poster for digital screens under ‘Related images’ on Staffordshire Connects website.

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Are you unsure about pathways, referrals, who to contact.

In Staffordshire we have SAFE steps to find the right help at the right time for mental health support for children and young people: Staffordshire Connects | Mental health support for children and young people: Think SAFE

Information on Stoke services can be found here: Mental health – Stoke-on-Trent Children and Family Services

To refer children and young people for mental health support in North Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent, child and young people mental health services are accessed via the Single Point of Access (SPA), bringing together children and young people’s mental health services including Stay Well.

The SPA can take telephone calls / referral forms from self-referral or from professionals. The SPA covers Newcastle and Staffordshire moorlands:

Telephone: 0800 0 328 728

Online referrals:

https://combinedwellbeing.org.uk/da-our-services/

For the rest of the Staffordshire districts child and young people mental health services are accessed via the Children and Families Single Point of Access (CaFSPA), bringing together children and young people’s mental health services including school nursing, and Stay Well.

The CaFSPA can take telephone calls / referral forms from self-referral or from professionals.

It covers: East Staffs, Stafford, Cannock, Lichfield, Tamworth and South Staffs.

Telephone: 0808 178 0611

Email referrals to: CaFSPA@mpft.nhs.uk

CaFSPA How to make a referral

If you have any questions please feel free to email for Staffordshire: sandra.webb@staffordshire.gov.uk

Stoke: Natalie.Harrison@stoke.gov.uk

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5 ideas to support your Whole School/College Approach:

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5 ideas to support your Whole School/College Approach:

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1.     Build a strong team around you
Ensure you have a team to support your role as Mental Health Lead (MHL). This not only helps to manage workload but also creates a shared vision and collective responsibility for driving your whole school/college approach and action planning.

2.     Use meaningful stakeholder voice
Regularly gather and act on the views of pupils, parents/carers, and staff. This empowers your whole community and ensures your mental health and wellbeing initiatives are relevant, responsive, and making a measurable impact.

3.     Plan for key ‘pinch points’ in the year
Identify times in the academic calendar when wellbeing may be under increased pressure (e.g. exam periods). Plan ahead to implement supportive strategies such as workload adjustments, protected time, or informal opportunities like “tea and chat” sessions.

4.     Communicate consistently and widely with parents/carers
When promoting support, workshops, or resources, aim to use at least three different communication methods (e.g. school apps, text messages, social media). This increases reach and ensures important messages are not missed.

5.     Embed training across the whole staff team
Mental health and wellbeing is everyone’s responsibility. Ensure training and awareness opportunities are available for all staff, not just the Mental Health Lead, so that support is consistent and embedded in everyday practice.

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Tell us any topics you would like to knew more about for future meetings

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5 ideas to support your Whole School/College Approach:

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5 ideas to support your Whole School/College Approach:

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1          Appoint an Emotional Health and Wellbeing governor.  Make sure there is support and training for school governors to enable them to champion.

2          Add mental health and wellbeing to Senior Leadership Team meeting agendas.  Celebrate achievements and work out next steps to keep momentum going.

3          In your staff room why not create a Mental Health board. With info and links for staff as well as pupil resources and websites.

4          Make sure that mental health is included in your safeguarding, behaviour, safety and diversity policies.  Develop a staff mental health and wellbeing policy.

5          Create a parent information board to give families access to information they may need about support for their children.  Hold regular coffee mornings for parents to build relationships.

Do you have any ideas to share?

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Misinformation is one of the biggest challenges we face today, it shapes what we believe,

how we vote, and even how we see the world. Therefore, helping young people learn to

spot it is more important than ever. Sign up to attend the Workshop from Project Real creator Dr Yvonne Skipper

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Kind Mind newsletters, to sign up please email sandra.webb@staffordshire.gov.uk

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Kind Mind newsletters, to sign up please email sandra.webb@staffordshire.gov.uk

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Senior Mental Health Leads Training. Please share recommendations.

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Senior Mental Health Leads Training. Please share recommendations.

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I often get asked by new Senior Mental Health Leads, where they should complete their training. It would help if you can please share any recommendations for SMHL training. Where did you do your training? Please share your experiences to help others choose who to train with. Many thanks

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Great one page summary following the self esteem presentation by Vanessa and Grace from Staffordshire Education Psychology Service.

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Free framework to help develop your whole-school or college approach to mental health.  The framework complements the eight principles outlined in the Department for Education’s guidance on a whole-school or college approach and reflects key recommendations from NICE on promoting social, emotional and mental wellbeing in education.

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5 Steps to Mental Health and Wellbeing is a free, evidence-based framework to help you develop a whole-school or college approach to mental health.

It's interactive, it's simple and it's free. The framework aligns with the eight principles outlined in the Department for Education and Public Health England's whole-school approach guidance.

The 5 Steps will help you to take a considered approach to the mental health needs of pupils and staff, the importance of leadership, and the role of the community.

Any whole-school or college approach to mental health must also consider the principles of equity, diversity and inclusion, which are woven through the 5 Steps framework.

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Mental health is everyone's responsibility.

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Don't forget to turn notifications on if you post, why not create a profile and make sure notifications are turned on so you see replies to your posts.

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Updates from Stay Well and Mental Health Support Teams across Staffordshire

Updates from Mental Health Leads in Education Network

Information on SAFE pathways and how to access the right support at the right time

Support for embedding a whole school/college approach to mental health

Free training, workshops and CPD opportunities for education professionals

Focused exam wellbeing support, including practical strategies, reassurance and grounding tools.

Useful resources for schools, families and professionals

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Tell us if there are any current trends,  emerging themes or topics that you would like to know more about

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Introducing I’m Here – a new campaign designed to boost school attendance and open up honest conversations about mental health.

Building on the success of our Little Heroes campaign for primary schools, this initiative has been shaped by local students themselves. Through interactive workshops and face-to-face sessions, they shared real experiences of school life today – making sure this campaign truly reflects their voices.

Here’s what’s happening:

✅ Classroom support – lesson plans created with SCVYS to embed key messages into everyday learning.
✅ Dedicated mental health hub – practical guidance for students, teachers and parents, including tips on starting conversations, spotting signs of anxiety, and finding the right help.
✅ Two powerful videos – starring Staffordshire students from Stafford Manor High School, Erasmus Darwin Academy, Sir Graham Balfour, Landau Forte Academy, Biddulph High School and King Edward VI High School.

To watch the videos and find out more about the campaign visit staffordshire.gov.uk/imhere  I'm Here - Secondary attendance campaign - Staffordshire County Council

And the Helpful Bear story may be a winner for Little Heroes too 😊 Helpful Bear becomes life-changing companion for Staffordshire schoolboy - Staffordshire County Council Newsroom

Video here: Helpful Bear becomes life-changing companion for Staffordshire school boy

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Information about Stay Well —emotional health and wellbeing service

Mental health Leads network update and Whole School/College approach resources

Updates from Mental Health Support Teams in schools.

How to make a referral for mental health and emotional support for children and young people

Webinars, training, and resources

How to get involved with children and young people’s mental health participation team

Blythe Bridge school students Mindful Mondays app

New image for Children and young people’s mental health pathway

and much more!!

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To help Mental Health Leads embed a whole school or college approach to mental health and wellbeing, a Mental Health Lead Resource Hub has been developed by Anna Freud, in partnership with education representatives and mental health experts.

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Mental health lead resource hub : Mentally Healthy Schools

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This resource hub has been created in partnership with and funded by the Department for Education, with new resources added regularly. Find out more about how the suitability of resources is assessed.
 
Signposted resources are not funded or endorsed by the Department for Education, unless otherwise stated.

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Events from Staffordshire Education Psychology Service for Childrens Mental Health Week

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Events from Staffordshire Education Psychology Service for Childrens Mental Health Week

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Great webinars available for Childrens Mental Health Week Feb 2026 - sign up via the QR code on the flyer

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If you would be interested in 'buddying up' with other mental health leads colleagues, please leave your name, name of school and email address in response to this comment. Or email me sandra.webb@staffordshire.gov.uk

We will then share these contact details with everyone who has expressed an interest in buddying up, to enable those seeking buddies to connect with each other.

Thanks,

Sandra Webb

Commissioning Officer,

Staffordshire County Council

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Research into retention of educators seeking participants

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Research into retention of educators seeking participants

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Does anyone have any recommendations for MHL training? Where did you do your training? Please share your experiences to help others choose who to train with. Thanks

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Includes feedback survey, Stay Well, updated Children and young people’s mental health support pathway map, a day in the life of an Education Mental Health Practitioner and much more

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Do you want to become involved in a MHL network meeting steering group?

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Do you want to become involved in a MHL network meeting steering group?

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During the recent MHL network meetings, we asked if anyone would like to become involved in a steering group to shape meetings, looking at the structure of meetings and content, times/dates of next academic year meetings.

If you would like to share in meetings please contact Sandra or Natalie. Members of the network have shared really helpful resources so if you can share or if you have ideas of people/content you would like to see at the next meeting, please do let Sandra or Natalie know.

Contact:

Sandra: sandra.webb@staffordshire.gov.uk

Natalie: natalie.harrison@stoke.gov.uk

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We had great presentations from MHSTs as well as Stay Well.

Information shared during the meetings

Updated Children’s mental health support pathway map and webpage : SCC Mental health support for children and young people map  Staffordshire Connects | Children's mental health support pathway

Staffordshire health app finder -Mental health apps for children & young people YP mental health - Staffordshire

For app finder accounts for Staffordshire email: lucy.gratton@staffordshire.gov.uk

Hub of hope Mental Health Support Network provided by Chasing the Stigma | Hub of hope

For information about PSHE please email - natalie@staffscvys.org.uk   https://pshestaffs.com/pshe-digest/

Sandbox - Online hub for children and young people where they can safely seek help and advice about their mental health. Sandbox website

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*emailed out to network members 03/10/25 saved here for reference. I know some schools have events for World Mental Health Day on 10 October arranged, so I’ve pulled together some useful resources you might find helpful.

Staffordshire health app finder have a variety of posters and images that maybe useful for events.  These include photos featuring families, children, and young people.  We also have a great video from Evelyn, who is from Staffordshire, sharing her experience of using the app finder.  Resources available include QR codes, web banners, and digital screen slides.

Mental health apps for Staffordshire young people – Promotional resources | Doing Our Bit.

Children & Young People's Mental Health - Staffordshire page offers a range of apps for children and young people, along with information to help parents support their children’s mental health and emotional wellbeing.

Apps to support adults mental health are also available  Adults Mental Health

Stay Well service for Children and young people in Staffordshire.  Many of you will be familiar with this new service.  We recently had a really informative presentation from Megan, outlining the support available including 1:1, groups, training and their Wellbeing ambassador training for pupils. They now have brand new Facebook and Instagram links on their webpage – a great way to stay updated on events. Their page has lots of useful self-help resources too.

Stay Well CYP | Stay Well Children & Young People Support.

Changes who deliver the Stay Well service also offer support for adults.  Their website and social media are great for finding out about events and workshops.

Mental Health Support in Stoke & across Staffordshire UK

Combined Wellbeing (North Staffordshire) Their website includes a wide range of useful self-help resources and services for both children and adults, along with information on how to access them.

Combined Wellbeing

Midlands Partnership University NHS foundation trust (South districts in Staffordshire) Explains services and support available and how to access them.

Adults services Mental Health Services (Adults in Staffordshire) :: Midlands Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust

Children and families services Children & Families Services :: Midlands Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust

Mental health support for children and young people in Staffordshire map and connects page for service/support links and information.

SCC Mental health support for children and young people map

Staffordshire Connects | Children's mental health support pathway

Signposting for Men’s Mental Health:

Campaign against living miserably (CALM) https://www.thecalmzone.net/

Men’s sheds  https://menssheds.org.uk/wellbeing/

Andy’s man club  https://andysmanclub.co.uk/

Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent talking therapies.  This service supports people aged 16+.  In addition to 1:1 support they also offer workshops for pupils aged 16+ as well as for staff.

Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Talking Therapies - North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust

Home - Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent Talking Therapies

5 ways to wellbeing.  Simple ways to boost mental and emotional wellbeing each day

5 Ways to Wellbeing - Staffordshire County Council

Suicide awareness and prevention courses.  Courses available are adult focused content or young person focused.  Open to anyone living or working in Staffordshire.

Bookings | Public Health

Urgent mental health support.  If you are concerned about your mental health, or someone you care for, you can contact your local free urgent NHS Mental Health Helpline. You can talk to someone to receive telephone support, advice, or triage.  This service is here for you, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for everyone.

Urgent mental health support - Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent, ICS

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Changes to mental health and emotional wellbeing for children and young people service

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Changes to mental health and emotional wellbeing for children and young people service

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From 1 April 2025, a new service called ‘Stay Well’ will support children and young people with mild to moderate mental health and emotional wellbeing needs.

Jointly commissioned by Staffordshire County Council and Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent Integrated Care Board the new service will be delivered by Changes Health and Wellbeing working with North Staffordshire Mind and The Dove Service.

The current contract to deliver mental health and emotional wellbeing for children and young people, held by Action for Children, ends on 31 March 2025.

Action for Children, will continue to deliver the ‘Children and Young People’s Emotional Health and Wellbeing service’ until their contract ends on 31 March 2025.

From 1 April 2025, the new ‘Stay Well’ service will provide early intervention and prevention support. We will update you with more details about the new service over the coming weeks.

Please continue to make referrals through the single points of access for north and south Staffordshire.

To refer a child or young person who lives in Newcastle or Staffordshire Moorlands (North)

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Telephone: 0800 0 328 728

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Online: https://combinedwellbeing.org.uk/da-our-services/

To refer a child or young person who lives in East Staffordshire, Tamworth, Lichfield, Cannock, South Staffordshire or Stafford (South):

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Telephone: 0808 178 0611

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Email: CaFSPA@mpft.nhs.uk

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Department for Education data shows that secondary school pupils attacked teachers and support staff over 134,000 times in the last three full academic years

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Department for Education data shows that secondary school pupils attacked teachers and support staff over 134,000 times in the last three full academic years

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#TogetherAgainstAbuse

Following an increase in assaults against emergency workers, the Violence Reduction Alliance (VRA) has launched the #TogetherAgainstAbuse campaign to raise awareness of the importance of frontline worker’s safety. #TogetherAgainstAbuse - Violence Reduction Alliance

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New Stay Well service opens | Recommended apps to support mental health | New sensory needs toolkit for schools

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New Stay Well service opens | Recommended apps to support mental health | New sensory needs toolkit for schools

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Where will it end and Together against abuse campaigns including resources.

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Where will it end and Together against abuse campaigns including resources.

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For more information on the Where Will It End? campaign please visit: www.wherewillitend.co.uk. You will also find a link on this page to the partner page where you can download the campaign resources.  For more information and to download the #TogetherAgainstAbuse campaign please visit: #TogetherAgainstAbuse - Violence Reduction Alliance

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Whole School and College Approach measurement toolkit launched 

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Whole School and College Approach measurement toolkit launched 

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It allows educational settings to reflect regularly on the implementation of their WSCA work and track its impact on key outcomes.

Educational settings will be able to self-assess their WSCA implementation and outcomes using: the Implementation Self-Assessment Tool (ISAT) and the Outcomes Self-Assessment Tool (OSAT).

Schools and colleges will also be able to track the self-assessment data over time and develop their WSCA work, making adjustments where needed, based on their progress.

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The purpose of this toolkit is to allow educational settings to reflect regularly on the implementation of their WSCA work and track its impact on key outcomes. This can help inform their whole school and college approach work in a targeted way and act as a springboard for discussions with stakeholders.

Educational settings will be able to self-assess their WSCA implementation and outcomes using our two tools: the Implementation Self-Assessment Tool (ISAT) and the Outcomes Self-Assessment Tool (OSAT).

Schools and colleges will also be able to track the self-assessment data over time and develop their WSCA work, making adjustments where needed, based on their progress.

Watch our videos on the development of the WSCA Toolkit, and the accompanying How-to guide below:

A whole school and college approach to mental health and wellbeing is a co-ordinated approach across an educational setting to promote emotional wellbeing, identify emotional and mental health difficulties at an early stage, and provide support to those who need it.

The WSCA involves multiple components. Public Health England (2021) outlined eight key principles to this work:

1. Curriculum, teaching and learning.

2. Enabling student voice.

3. Staff development to support their own wellbeing and that of students.

4. Identifying need and monitoring impact of interventions.

5. Working with parents/carers.

6. Targeted support and referral.

7. An ethos and environment that promotes respect and values diversity.

8. Leadership and management.

Evaluation of the WSCA is crucial to understand where a school's approaches are benefitting the students and to ensure the WSCA meets the needs of students and families.

In our previous work on the Best Practice Review of the WSCA, we identified that, whilst most MHSTs and educational settings reported using standardised measures for targeted work with individual pupils, there was little or no use of measures to systematically monitor and evaluate the impact of the WSCA. So, we set out to develop a tool that all education settings and MHSTs can use.

The toolkit is designed for any school/college to use. We suggest that senior leaders within each setting completes the ISAT and OSAT, whilst incorporating the views of pupils and staff and evidence from across the setting.

The toolkit can be used as frequently as needed, to the extent that this is considered to be useful for the educational setting. There is no prescribed time frame, but many settings may choose to track outcomes and implementation, comparing ratings made relatively early and late within each academic year.

We do recommend completing the toolkit at two or more points throughout the academic year to allow settings to view any progress and to potentially identify areas which may not be progressing as much as others.

This toolkit has been developed with the input of pupils and school staff. We also tested this tool with 24 schools in the South, South East and North East of England. Findings from the project can be found here.

The ISAT is a self-assessment form which encourages schools and colleges to reflect on what WSCA work is being done and how it is being implemented in the settings. Schools and colleges will be able to see how their WSCA work is developing over time and whether or not there are certain aspects which are being implemented more than others.

There are 17 criteria for implementation where schools and colleges can rate themselves on each one. Each criterion relates to a particular area of whole-school work on mental health. They are:

Each category contains a rating element to allow settings to assess the level at which they are currently operating.

For each criterion, there are four possible ratings which the setting must choose from. These range from: 0 (little or no whole-school work in that area) through to 3 (the most embedded and integrated approach to whole-school work in that area).

The OSAT is a self-assessment form which encourages schools and colleges to reflect on the impact of the WSCA work. Schools and colleges will be able to identify the specific outcomes of their work and see how their WSCA work is impacting the wellbeing of pupils and staff and whether or not there are certain aspects that are progressing more than others.

There are 12 criteria for outcomes where schools and colleges can rate themselves on each one. Each criterion relates to a particular area that was considered important in showing the impact of WSCA by pupils and staff.

The 12 key criteria are:

For each question, there are four possible ratings which the settings must choose from. These range from: 0 (little or no indicator of positive outcomes) through to 3 (the strongest indicator of positive outcomes).

In addition to this, for the OSAT, the setting must also evaluate the quality and depth of evidence they can provide for this assessment and provide a rating for that too. For each question, there are three possible evidence ratings. These range from: 1 (only limited evidence) through to 3 (strong evidence is provided for the outcome rating, with written documentation in line with an agreed plan for data collection, and confidence about the reliability, validity, coverage, and independence of data collection).

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Whole School and College Approach (WSCA) Measurement Toolkit

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The purpose of this toolkit is to allow educational settings to reflect regularly on the implementation of their WSCA work and track its impact on key outcomes. This can help inform their whole school and college approach work in a targeted way and act as a springboard for discussions with stakeholders.

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Senior mental health lead training:  Find out how your school or college can apply for a grant and access DfE quality assured training to help develop a whole school or college approach to mental health and wellbeing.

Eligible schools and colleges are now able to apply for a senior mental health lead training grant to commence training by 31 March 2025. Grants will be provided to cover (or contribute to) the cost of attending a quality assured course and may also be used to hire supply staff while leads are engaged in learning.

Schools can now also claim a 2nd grant if their trained mental health lead left the setting before fully developing their whole school or college approach.

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The Department for Education (DfE) is offering grants of £1,200 to eligible schools and colleges (settings) to pay for senior mental health lead training. The grant must be used to pay for DfE quality assured training.

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Finding the right help at the right time to support Children and Young people with their mental health and wellbeing can be confusing, they might need different types of support at different times in their life. Sometimes it might just be about getting a bit of advice or sometimes problems are more serious or don’t get better with self-help and need more help such as specialist advice and support.

We have updated the interactive map of Children & Young People’s Mental Health Support.  It shows the local support available in Staffordshire for Children and Young people to support their emotional and mental health and wellbeing.

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Staffordshire CYP MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES MAP

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Two webinars to explore how to use emotion coaching in early years settings. If early years settings wish to book a place, please use this link: https://forms.office.com/e/LmvmmFgb6N

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Helping young people in Staffordshire find the right mental health support – A digital tool for everyone

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Helping young people in Staffordshire find the right mental health support – A digital tool for everyone

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Young people today face increasing mental health challenges, and finding trusted, effective support can feel overwhelming. That’s why Staffordshire County Council has developed the Young Person’s Mental Health section within the Staffordshire Health App Finder – a free digital tool that young people can use directly to find expert-reviewed mental health apps. YP mental health - Staffordshire

We have put together a pack of resources to help you share information about our new Young Person’s Mental Health App Finder, including posters, graphics, digital screen slides, pre written social media posts and more.

🔗 Find out more and access the resources here

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New Stay Well service will support hundreds of Staffordshire children and young people

From 1 April a new service called ‘Stay Well’ will provide emotional health and wellbeing support for children and young people aged five to 18 years old (25 years with SEND) in Staffordshire.

The service will also help families and professionals gain the knowledge and confidence to create an emotionally healthy environment and support children and young people.

Stay Well will offer early intervention and prevention through:

•             Group and one-to-one emotional health and wellbeing sessions for children and young people

•             Peer support groups for children and young people

•             Access to a wide range of positive activities for children and young people

•             Information, advice and guidance for children and young people, families, professionals and schools

•             Workshops and training opportunities for children, young people, families, professionals and schools

The service will be provided from local venues across Staffordshire, including wellbeing centres, community venues, schools and colleges.

Find out more about the service

How to make a referral

Children, young people and their families can refer directly into the service, or they can be referred by a professional.

Call: 01782 418 518

Online: Stay Well online referral form

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Using Staffordshire Health App finder to support young people and their families.

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During recent meetings we learnt about Staffordshire Health App finder and how it is a valuable resource for those who support young people. It makes it easy for both young people and their support networks to find safe, reliable mental health and wellbeing apps in one place.

Access expertly reviewed mental health apps here:  YP mental health - Staffordshire

Did you know that you can request a Pro account where you can create lists of suitable apps, send app recommendations to families and young people as well as track which apps have been downloaded.  If you want to know more about Pro accounts please contact: lucy.gratton@staffordshire.gov.uk

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Finding the right help at the right time to support children and young people with their mental health and wellbeing can be confusing, they might need different types of support at different times in their life.  Sometimes it might just be about getting a bit of advice or sometimes problems are more serious or don’t get better with self-help and need more help such as specialist advice and support.

The Staffordshire children’s mental health support pathway map has now been updated. We have removed the back page from the map and added a QR code which links directly to the Staffordshire Connects page, this means it will always link to the most up to date information.  The Staffordshire Connects page has also been updated and shows the local support available for children and young people to support their mental health and emotional wellbeing.

Please find attached a copy of the updated map, the updated Staffordshire connects page can be accessed here: Staffordshire Connects | Children's mental health support pathway  where a copy of the updated map can also be downloaded SCC Mental health support for children and young people map

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This resource hub has been created in partnership with and funded by the Department for Education, with new resources added regularly.

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Mental health lead resource hub : Mentally Healthy Schools

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This resource hub has been created in partnership with and funded by the Department for Education, with new resources added regularly. Find out more about how the suitability of resources is assessed. Signposted resources are not funded or endorsed by the Department for Education, unless otherwise stated.

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Please have a look through as all the services offered by MHST are explained here.

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Mental Health Support Team Offer Academic year 24-25a

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When a suspected suicide occurs, the effect on those touched by it is immediate and traumatic.  When it happens in an education setting the impact can be especially huge. Both students and the adults may struggle to cope, and evidence tells us that they may become at higher risk of suicide themselves.  As such it can be difficult for the leads of the education setting to know how it should best respond to manage the situation and minimise further harm.

This guidance document has been written to support the Heads, Principals and safeguarding leads of schools and colleges around the immediate processes involved in a child death by suspected suicide, and to provide advice about ongoing support and communications relating to this difficult subject.

This guidance document is deliberately ‘generic’ to allow it to be widely used in education settings across Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent. Most of the content will be relevant and appropriate to all settings, but there may be some information in here that may not be relevant (to your locality or type of school or college), or you may feel it would be helpful to have some more specific guidance appropriate to your particular circumstances.

You are welcome to adapt or modify this document to your needs if you do not deviate from any of the key messages.  If you wish to check before adapting the document to suit your specific circumstances, the Educational Psychology Teams in both Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent are happy to support you.

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Education Setting Postvention Guidance_FINAL June 2025

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Children's Mental Health Week 2024: toolkit of resources from Anna Freud

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Children's Mental Health Week 2024: toolkit of resources from Anna Freud

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Two toolkits of resources to help schools and colleges celebrate Children's Mental Health Week 2024 and the theme of 'my voice matters'.

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Two toolkits of resources to help schools and colleges celebrate Children's Mental Health Week 2024 and the theme of 'my voice matters'.

Children's Mental Health Week will take place from 5-11 February 2024. The theme this year is 'my voice matters'.

This theme is about empowering young people by equipping them with tools to express themselves and look after their mental health and wellbeing.

This toolkit contains resources to support schools and colleges during Children's Mental Health Week. The resources are divided into materials for students and staff.

Materials for students are designed to help them express their emotions and discuss their mental wellbeing. Materials for staff aim to help them gather pupil voice, discuss wellbeing with young people, and identify mental wellbeing needs.

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Children's Mental Health Week 2024: toolkit of resources : Mentally Healthy Schools

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Two toolkits of resources to help schools and colleges celebrate Children's Mental Health Week 2024 and the theme of 'my voice matters'.

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To coincide with Child Mental Health Week (5 to 11 February) Staffordshire Public Health Team are funding special #TalkSuicide training sessions that focus on children and young people.

The training is relevant for people who work with children, as well as for parents and carers, who play an important role in a child’s mental health.

The sessions will be delivered by North Staffordshire Mind and will help you recognise the signs a child or young person is at risk, provide initial support and signpost to local services.

The training covers:

awareness raising

stigma

barriers to disclosure

a practical intervention to use if you suspect that a child or young person is experiencing suicidal thoughts

Two dates are currently available to choose from - 21 February and 14 March.

The training lasts for half a day and takes place online, via Zoom.

This course is open to everyone over 18 years of age who lives, works or volunteers in Staffordshire. You don't need to have a background in mental health or suicide prevention to attend.

To book a place click the link above

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We need ordinary people (like you) to be more aware of the signs someone is at risk of suicide and able to help them get the support they need.

We've funded a limited number of places on suicide prevention training for individuals, businesses, clubs, groups, and organisations, across Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent.

Developed by North Staffordshire Mind, the half-day online training course has been designed to:

help you recognise signs that someone may be at risk

train you to use a simple 4 step suicide intervention

share information with you about local support service

Search available dates and book your place on the training.
Book a session
We expect the training to be popular and places are limited, please book your place as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

Find out more:

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We need ordinary people (like you) to be more aware of the signs someone is at risk of suicide and able to help them get the support they need. We've funded a limited number of places on suicide prevention training for individuals, businesses, clubs, groups, and organisations, across Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent.

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Anna Freud new targeted support guide and tool

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Anna Freud new targeted support guide and tool

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Anna Freud have just launched a new targeted support guide and tool, in partnership with and funded by the Department for Education, to help education staff choose the most effective support for their students.

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A guide and tool for providing effective targeted mental wellbeing support in your school or college.

Guide to planning targeted support

A guide to help schools and colleges develop effective targeted mental wellbeing support. Created in partnership with and funded by the Department for Education.

Find out more

Targeted support tool

A tool for providing targeted support options for your setting, created in partnership with and funded by the Department for Education.

Find out more

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Targeted support : Mentally Healthy Schools

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Mentally Healthy Schools brings together quality-assured information, advice and resources to help primary schools understand and promote children's mental health and wellbeing.

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This was emailed out on World mental health day. This year’s theme is workplace mental health.

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Senior Mental Health Lead training grant funding update on 6 October 2023
'We've updated the conditions of grant for the 2023 to 2024 financial year. Eligible schools and colleges can now apply for a second grant, if the senior mental health lead previously trained left their settings before embedding a whole school or college approach to mental health and wellbeing.'

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Information for eligible state-funded schools and colleges about grant funding for senior mental health lead training and how to apply.

Details

Read the 'step 1' application form guidance to understand how to register for a senior mental health lead training grant.

Read the 'step 2' application form guidance to understand how to provide evidence of the DfE quality assured course you have booked, so we can authorise payment of your grant.

The following forms can currently be accessed:

You will be able to register for a grant using the online application form until all available places have been allocated. If there are no places left for this financial year when you submit the first online application form, you will be added to a waiting list.

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Senior mental health lead training grant funding

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Information for eligible state-funded schools and colleges about grant funding for senior mental health lead training and how to apply.

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Children and young people's mental health participation 

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Children and young people's mental health participation 

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CYP leaflet

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Children and young people's mental health participation team

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Children and young people's mental health participation team

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Professionals leaflet

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Includes dates for this years meetings, resources from Action for Children, Staffordshire App finder, Whisper it campaign, focus on C&YP staying safe online.

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Includes dates for this years network meetings

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Dates for next network meetings as well as resources to support mental health and emotional wellbeing

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Spring term meeting dates

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Dates for Mental Health lead Network meetings

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Dates for Mental Health lead Network meetings

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Dates for 23/24 academic year meetings.
Autumn Term 2023: Theme is Mental health and School attendance
North Staffordshire (Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire Moorlands) & Stoke-on-Trent
Tues 14th Nov 7:45-8:45
Thurs 16th Nov 16:00-17:00
South Staffordshire (Cannock, East Staffordshire, Lichfield, Stafford, South Staffordshire, Tamworth)
Fri 10th Nov 7:45-845
Wed 15th Nov 16:00-17:00

Full years dates and themes are in latest Kind Minds
TEAMS Links will be sent through nearer dates of meetings

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We’d love your feedback! Help us shape the future of Kind Minds by sharing your thoughts in our quick questionnaire. It takes less than 5 minutes to complete.

Your voice matters—let’s make Kind Minds even better together!

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At the Spring '24 meetings Dr Helen Emsley shared resources on Staff Wellbeing

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Virtual School have training offer.  A bespoke FREE training package on offer to your school including
introduction to RRP, RADY, Emotion Coaching, Attachment and Trauma.  See leaflet for details

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Hi all,
Here is a link to some resources that you might find useful:
https://saphna.co/library/toolkits/eating-disorder-toolkit/?_cldee=O-quEcRTansQSEDlVRdwrY85TKlLs5kzIOS26xx30iILT6VjoiGyz3u4Cc7Wky55-zjIo9d4NcIfRgb5J1bf4A&recipientid=contact-6093e9f14f49e8118133e0071b6670e1-54692ee2a8f043f09aa66b90a7e384b7&esid=ca72766e-3826-ee11-9965-000d3adf7dac

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This toolkit has been co-produced with school nursing services, mental health activist/campaigner Hope Virgo, eating disorder experts, education colleagues and, most importantly, our expert advisory board of experts by experience including young people, carers, siblings, and friends. It is underpinned by their intelligence alongside evidence, research, and best practice. It is aimed at qualified, trained, and skilled nurses who have access to robust supervision.

If on completion of the submission form you do not receive the toolkit, please contact us and we will send you the toolkit directly. Thank you

If anything has personally resonated within this toolkit please do speak to your supervisor, your GP or reach out to The Hub of HopeMental Health Support Network provided by Chasing the Stigma | Hub of hopeto find local support"

Watch Sharon White and Hope Virgo discussing the toolkit

SAPHNA are delighted to have contributed to this article in none other than Cosmopolitan, featuring our fabulous and successful eating disorders toolkit! VIEW ARTICLE HERE

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This toolkit has been co-produced with school nursing services, mental health activist/campaigner Hope Virgo, eating disorder experts, education colleagues and, most importantly, our expert advisory board of experts by experience including young people, carers, siblings, and friends. It is underpinned by their intelligence alongside evidence, research, and best practice.

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Is there a news letter for Stoke schools? The Staffordshire news letter is really informative.  

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Is there a news letter for Stoke schools? The Staffordshire news letter is really informative.  