Bid to boost mental health of pupils

Children in Leeds schools are to benefit from a scheme to improve their emotional wellbeing and mental health.

Figures show one in ten children aged between five and 16 years has a mental health problem, and many continue to have such issues into adulthood.

Emotional wellbeing and mental health play a key part of a person’s ability to learn effectively, contribute positively to the community and be resilient to problems when they arise.

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In Leeds a total of £610,000 is being made available by Leeds City Council, NHS Leeds and the Schools Forum to develop Targeted Mental Health in Schools (TaMHS) in ten areas in the city.

In the 10 areas, clusters, made-up of schools and other services and partners, are also putting funds into the project.

TaMHS works with children aged 5-13 to improve their emotional well-being and mental health by intervening earlier, tackling problems faster and working preventatively.

Children and their families or carers are able to access specialist counselling and other mental health services, but the project also helps to promote social and emotional skills for all pupils.

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The announcement of the new programmes follows a successful pilot project funded by the Department for Education, involving schools in the south and east of the city.

Coun Judith Blake, the council’s executive member responsible for children’s services said: “Schools are well-placed to spot difficulties as they arise but sometimes in the past staff have felt they lacked the expertise to deal with emotional and mental health issues and referrals for specialist help could take time.

“The beauty of this project is that it gives school staff the skills and support to deal with many of the issues themselves but specialist mental health professionals are also available so children who need this help can get it much faster.”