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

Thank you Sallie

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

If you would like to become involved, please do email Sandra (this will not be a large number of meetings, we are looking to have a TEAMs meeting and possibly use polls to gather thoughts on any actions/ideas from this meeting). 

If you would like to present during the next meeting please contact Sandra, it would be great to have members sharing good practices or if you have ideas of people/content you would like to see at the next meeting, please do let Sandra know and we can look to include this.

Contact:

Sandra: sandra.webb@staffordshire.gov.uk

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.

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.

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.

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)

•

Telephone: 0800 0 328 728

•

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):

•

Telephone: 0808 178 0611

•

Email: CaFSPA@mpft.nhs.uk

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

• 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

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 

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

 and much more!!

       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?

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

Thanks in advance

Angela

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.

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.