News Release, 14 March 2002
With one in five young people experiencing a mental health problem, and suicide, depression and self-harm on the increase, the Mental Health Foundation is proposing that every secondary school should take action to address mental health issues. The Foundation is putting forward its guidance for schools at a national conference Promoting Mental Health in Secondary Schools being held today (Thursday March 14th) in London.
At the conference the Mental Health Foundation will launch:
- the DFES funded training pack - 'A Bright Future for All: Promoting mental health in education'
- an evaluation report of the Foundation's Peer Support Programme - 'Someone to Turn to: Peer Support Evaluation Report'
- the Foundation's Peer Support training manual - 'Peer Support Manual'
The Mental Health Foundation's proposals come at a time when mental health promotion in schools is being supported at government level across the UK. The Healthy Schools Initiative in England endorses whole-school approaches to improving emotional health and well-being, for both staff and students, and similar initiatives exist in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. OFSTED now has a responsibility to report on the social development of children in English schools. The Mental Health Foundation recommends that, in addition:
- Government, Local Education Authorities and schools should prioritise mental health, as they have other issues such as bullying and racism
- Every head teacher should read 'A Bright Future for All' with a view to promoting mental well-being in their school
- Every secondary school should carry out a mental health audit
- Teachers should be supported and receive ongoing training in mental health issues
- Schools should not tackle this work in isolation, but should foster better links with child and adolescent mental health services and social services, as well as making links with other local schools.
Maddy Halliday, Mental Health Foundation director, Scotland and UK development, said: "A content child is more able to learn, and so it makes sense for schools to promote mental wellbeing. Also, the Foundation's research shows that even for children who have mental health problems, interventions are most successful when they are part of a whole-school approach. We hope that this conference and our training materials will help schools address these issues."
'A Bright Future for All' provides a comprehensive guide to initiating whole-school approaches to mental health. It aims to enable schools to assess what they are doing already to promote mental well-being and provides a variety of ideas for further work, as well as case studies of seven schools who have piloted the activities. These included the use of peer support and circle time, discussions about teachers' mental wellbeing and using a practical project within the school to generate a sense of ownership and responsibility. Comments from teachers involved in the piloting included:
"Having access to the pack is a privilege and has encouraged us to get going. I would encourage all schools to take a long hard look at the pack."
"The pack provided a point of reference, backed up by research. The ideas in it are ones that no progressive school can afford to ignore."
The Mental Health Foundation's peer support programme has produced a training pack for schools and an evaluation report 'Someone to Turn to: Peer Support Evaluation Report' which presents the experiences of seven peer support projects funded over two years by the Foundation. Maddy Halliday explains: "Peer support is about students helping each other with their concerns, and it builds on the willingness of young people to turn to each other with their anxieties. By recruiting interested pupils and training them in communication and listening skills, they are enabled to support others and help them to reach their own solutions to whatever problems they face."
Examples of peer support schemes include peer mediation, where peer supporters are trained in conflict resolution, and peer mentoring, where the supporters act as role models. The projects found that there were:
- Benefits to the peer supporters - including increased self-confidence, acquisition of communication skills and an enhanced sense of responsibility.
- Benefits to users - such as help resolving problems, being able to talk and open up and the knowledge that there is help available.
- Positive impacts on the school - including a reduction in incidents of bullying, improving communication between students and teachers and enhancing the school as a caring community.
Return to news releases 2002
For further information and interview requests contact please contact the press office on 020 7803 1105 / 1128 or email the press office
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