Mentally Healthy Schools website live
Mentally Healthy Schools is a new website to help primary school staff support the mental health of pupils. The Duchess of Cambridge launched this latest initiative from Heads Together in January to support children’s mental well-being and it became live this week.
There is a range of expert and practical information and resources to help all primary school staff understand, promote and deal confidently with children’s mental health issues: jargon-free information on what can undermine and what can help emotional wellbeing; tips and strategies to help; and specific advice on vulnerable groups.
The site is divided into four sections:
- Teaching resources :focuses on schools' abilities to promote and build your pupils' good mental health with a range of quality-assured teaching resources.
- Risks and protective factors: explores how schools can identify which children might face greater risks, and shares resources to help protect them and build their resilience.
- Mental health needs: focuses on children who are struggling or are mentally unwell. It helps schools understand your role and how you can help promote your pupils' recovery.
- Whole-school approach: helps school leaders develop the wider support across the school to help children, families and staff thrive.
Most of the resources are free. However, there is a small number of evaluated, mostly licensed programmes that carry a fee, but have strong evidence of benefiting children – either through promoting children’s social and emotional skills, or preventing or helping children recover from poor mental health.
The providers are not expecting staff to become mental health experts. If you are concerned about a child’s safety or wellbeing please follow your usual safeguarding procedures and consult with your designated safeguarding lead or local authority. Please also see their tips on where to seek further advice.
The creators are delighted to be working with our Heads Together charity partners in developing this site:
With expert guidance from Centre for Mental Health and advice and support from NAHT, the school leaders’ association.
Quality assurance
The site is based on the best available research. Both the content and resources listed have passed through a rigorous quality assurance* process involving clinical and educational experts from our charity partners, as well as broader specialists in the field, to make sure they are:
- Clear, accurate and convey a positive message about mental health.
- Age and key stage appropriate.
- Clinically safe.
- Evidence-informed or based on Early Intervention Foundation criteria.
- Suitable for all children.
- Up to date.
Academic references have not been included in the text to keep the information accessible. Most key references underpinning the information can be found in the Centre for Mental Health’s ‘Missed Opportunities’ report, which helped inform the need for, and development of, the site.
There may be additional, useful resources that have not been identified. The providers are asking website users to send in recommendations, which will then be subject to the same quality assurance process they’ve used for all resources listed.
Find out more about levels of evidence they've used on the site.
*Despite the rigorous quality assurance process for the resources, content and third-party services featured on the site, the providers cannot take responsibility for recommendations, links to other websites, resources or content on third party sites.
The learning and feedback the providers receive during the pilot phase (from February 2018) will inform the development and roll out of the site to schools across the UK. They would welcome feedback during this pilot phase.
