Agenda item

Representatives of partner organisations have been invited to the meeting to provide a summary of their work in so far as it relates to children and young people’s mental health and work in educational settings. These organisations include:-

·         Beacon Counselling

·         Educational Psychology Services

·         Jigsaw Service

·         A representative of secondary schools

·         A representative of Pupil Referral Units

·         Stockport College

A copy of report by Beacon Counselling on their engagement with Service Users and copy of their latest schools newsletter are enclosed as background information.

The Chair welcomed to the meeting representatives from a range of organisations and invited them to provide the Scrutiny Committee with an overview of their work in relation to children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing.

Beacon Counselling - James Harper, General Manager

The following issues were highlighted:-

·         Beacon had been operating for 30 years, focussing mainly on adult counselling, but in 1996 started to work in secondary schools.

·         The organisation worked with approximately 450 young people, mostly in educational settings, but also through outreach work.

·         Support was provided to those with low level needs and those struggling with challenging life events.

·         Beacon had a focus on developing coping skills for young people and ensuring they had resilience.

Primary Sector (High Lane Primary) – Judith Morris, Head Teacher

The following issues were highlighted:-

·         A whole school focus on developing basic life skills through Personal, Social and Health Education (PHSE) and Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning (SEAL) and embedding this within a broad range of curriculum areas.

·         The school employed a number of initiatives to support this work, such as ‘worry wallets’, ‘safety maps’ peer support, ‘Buddy Bus stops’, as well as ensuring pupils felt empowered and confident to raise concerns.

Secondary Sector (The Kingsway School) – Jane Maxey, Head of Lower School

The following issues were highlighted:-

·         Personal wellbeing was given the same priority as learning.

·         Important to engage parents.

·         Provision of onsite counsellors, aligned to need and not time limited. Waiting lists were managed and no pupil was turned away.

·         Close work with Behaviour Support Unit and dedicated social workers to respond quickly to emerging problems.

·         Student mentoring and peer monitoring used, particularly around transition.

Further Education Sector (Stockport College) – Susan Hartley, Mental Health Support Coordinator

The following issues were highlighted:-

·         Dedicated team to support student wellbeing, including counsellors, wellbeing practioners, to address a range of physical and mental wellbeing issues.

·         A responsive service with short waiting lists due to dedicated team.

·         Wellbeing agenda embedded within student services and close work with other support areas to provide assistance with issues such as housing and benefits.

National Health Schools Standard - Tanya Cross, Operational Leader, Stockport Council

The following issues were highlighted:-

·         Work with schools to train staff and develop resources to help embed wellbeing in the curriculum and in particular to enhance PSHE.

·         Emphasis given to equipping young people with skills to cope and be resilient.

Behaviour Support Service – Janette Braithwaite, Head Teacher

The following issues were highlighted:-

·         Approximately 1500 referrals ‘on the books’ at any one time for the Service. Inevitably a high proportion of those will involve mental health issues.

·         Use the Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning (SEAL) tool. This was no longer a government priority and so there was concern that the agenda would lose its impetus.

·         Success with developing restorative approaches in schools to change the ethos to focus on repairing harm rather than focussing on punishment and blame.

·         Primary Jigsaw Service was an education based multiagency team who took referrals from schools and CAMHS panel. In 2012-13 there were 298 referrals, 150 from schools, 137 from CAMHS and 11 from other agencies. They did 221 assessments and interventions, representing a 22% increase from the previous year.

·         Gaps and areas of concern included pressures on resources and funding; difficulties in engaging with hard to reach parents; lack of interventions for attachment issues.

Pupil Referral Unit (Pendlebury Centre) – Janice Cahill, Head Teacher

The following issues were highlighted:-

·         Service involved with those pupils at risk of exclusion and who had been excluded.

·         The Centre provided mental health interventions through its Cedar Unit, which were more intensive interventions for those with Tier 2/3 mental health need.

·         Work was also undertaken with those pupils with medical conditions that kept them out of school and in hospital.

·         There was an increasing awareness of mental health issues connected to young people involved with the PRU, as well as issues with adults connected to those young people.

·         Nationally there were efforts to increase the profile of mental health training and mainstream this within the teacher training programme.

·         Increasing concern about risk of child sexual exploitation and so increased work to address this with vulnerable young people associated with the PRU.

Education/School Psychology Service - Mark Hancock, Principal Child and Educational Psychologist

The following issues were highlighted:-

·         The need to rebalance the emphasis in schools away from achievement toward helping develop a resilient individual. Too great an emphasis was placed at an increasingly young age on ‘readiness to learn’.

·         Importance of providing support to parents and parenting.

Members asked questions and made comments on the presentations received, and explored issues further with the professionals present. The issues discussed included:-

·         Support for young people once they left school or the support offered by the BSS and PRU. This was an area where young people often feel through the gap between services. They may be picked up if at college, but for those who were NEET they would be lost to the system unless under the care of CAMHS.

·         Engaging with parents was key to ensuring that those with problems and concerns were able to get support and maintain it.

·         Cyber bullying, sexual exploitation and weight/body image were key issues for young people. Ensuring they had resilience and the skills to respond appropriately to issues that arise was more effective than for adults to respond to the problems afterward.

·         It was important to give young people choice with services such as counselling, so that if needed it can be kept discrete from school.

RESOLVED – That the presentations be noted and those who attended be thanked for their participation.