Learning Together: London’s Mental Health in Schools Event
Healthy London Partnership’s (HLP) children and young people (CYP) mental health team hosted a ‘Learning Together: Mental Health in Schools’ celebration event on 24 March 2022.
The virtual event was attended by over 250 delegates from a wide range of organisations including the NHS, Local Authorities, the education sector, and the voluntary, charity and social enterprise (VCSE) sector in London. There were also parents and young people in attendance.
Based on 123 responses from a poll undertaken during the event, over 50% of attendees were colleagues representing the NHS, 15% from the VCSE sector, 14% from Local Authorities and 7% from education.
This event was an opportunity to celebrate, share knowledge and experiences, and reflect on all the amazing work going on to support young people, their families and staff with their mental health and well-being in schools in London. It also explored next steps and innovative ways to support young people with their mental health in education settings in the future.
Learning Together was co-chaired by Ian Lewis (Local Authority Adviser) & Sheena Gohal (Clinical Lead), HLP CYP mental health programme.
Find the recording below, or through this link: https://youtu.be/5c-Jt-uiO30
You can watch back in full, or using the timestamps below to jump to specific content:
0:00 – Setting the Scene: The Landscape of MH in Schools
56:50 – The Mental Health in Schools Programme: New Ways of Working
01:48:38 – Celebrating MHSTs
The mental health in schools toolkit has also been updated and includes new sections on race, faith and LGBTQI+. The toolkit has been developed in partnership with the Greater London Authority. We encourage school leaders and staff, health care professionals and commissioners to use the toolkit for a wide range of information and guidance on how to promote emotional wellbeing and mental health within schools. We are constantly updating the toolkit, so keep your eye out for new content!
Speakers and presentation slides
Scroll down to view and download the presentations shared during the event. We have included speaker biographies and contact information should you wish to get in touch.
More information
See our news story for more information and feedback about the event.
If you would like to be involved in a future event, please contact erica.deti@nhs.net.
If you have any general queries, please contact the team at hlp.cyp-programme@nhs.net.
Speakers and slides
London context
Ian Lewis (Local Authority Adviser) and Sheena Gohal (Clinical Lead) – HLP CYP mental health programme
Ian has worked in Children’s Social Care, in local authorities across London for 29 years, ending in senior leadership roles that also included Early Help, Youth Justice and Special Educational Needs. Ian joined the CYP mental health programme at HLP in 2018.
Sheena is a trained MH nurse with 18 years’ experience and works in clinical leadership roles within CAMHS inpatient and community settings. She took up the post of the CYP mental health clinical lead at HLP in January 2022 and has been involved in several regional projects.
Senior Mental Health Lead Role and Whole School Approach
Kirstie Stroud, Mental Health Regional Delivery Lead London, Department for Education
Kirstie will talk about the important part schools can play in supporting CYP MHWB and the role of the SMHL – what it is and what it is not, and latest information about the DfE’s accredited training and grant. WSCA – how it works best, and sharing good practice examples. Celebrating some positive feedback from settings about MHST work across London.
Children and Young People’s Mental Health
Dr Jackie Chin, Consultant in Public Health, OHID
Jackie will present on a mix of London and national data that looks at some of the inequalities in this area.
National Update: MHSTs including Senior EMHP Role
Alex Goforth, Programme Manager CYP MH Team NHSE/I
Alex will provide a National update on MHSTs including progress so far and future ambitions, with special focus on workforce development including retention and widening participation.
Twitter: @alexmgoforth
Commissioning in the London Region
Josie Turner, Workforce Transformation Lead – Health Education England (HEE)
HEE will present on commissioning across the mental health portfolio, EMHP commissions to date for London, totals by education providers and ICSs. There will also be information on HEE resources in London such as Professional Development and the Psychological Professions Network.
Good Thinking for Children and Young People
Jess Simpson, Senior Programme Manager for Good Thinking HLP
Good Thinking launched to CYP in 2021 and has several different resources including apps, podcasts and written content. The session today will introduce some new things that should help people working with young people; some one pagers to signpost to relevant resources and some posters and videos outlining the 5 ways to wellbeing for CYP.
Web: www.good-thinking.uk
Instagram: @goodthinkingUK
Twitter: @thejess_simpson @GoodThinkingUK
Ways of wellbeing and the reading well list: co-producing services with school aged young people
Troy Norbert, Youth Engagement Lead – Partnership for Young London
PYL, with the help of our Digital Health Ambassadors, are co-developing a Children and Young People’s 5 Ways to Mental Wellbeing” resource.
Reading Well for young people recommends expert endorsed books about mental health, providing young people advice and information. I will be speaking about the work that’s underway, when schools and libraries can expect to access the resources and how schools can host authors events to promote.
Web: Partnership for Young London Reading Agency
Twitter: @PYL_London @readingagency
Instagram: @partnership4younglondon @readingagency
Children and Young People’s Social Prescribing
Suzi Griffiths, Project Manager Personalised Care – HLP
Social Prescribing (SP) is the process by which health professionals refer patients to Social Prescribing Link Workers (SPLW) to address their non-clinical needs that are negatively impacting on their health and wellbeing. Social Prescribing for CYP is an emerging area nationally and there is growing energy and commitment to develop approaches in London.
Mental Health in Schools Toolkit update
Colette Roach, Senior Programme Manager CYPMH Programme HLP
The Mental Health in Schools Toolkit has been developed in partnership with the GLA. We encourage school leaders and staff, health care professionals and commissioners to use the toolkit for a wide range of information and guidance on how to promote emotional wellbeing and mental health within schools. We are constantly updating the toolkit and it now includes sections on race, faith and LGBTQI+.
North East London ICS: Working in complex and varying systems
Dale Greenwood, MHST Programme Lead
Dale will be presenting on working towards a universal offer through working smarter. He will highlight why engagement is key to successfully challenging perceptions and expectations.
Resilient Schools Programme in Barnet
Jayne Abbott, CYP Mental Health and Resilient Schools Lead
Jayne will present on the Resilient Schools Programme which is a Public Health Programme which aims to raising awareness and de stigmatising mental health using a whole school approach.
Kooth – Digital Mental Health and Wellbeing Support
Eleanor Cammegh – Engagement Lead Kooth
Since 2001 Kooth has been the UK’s leading provider of effective online mental health support. It’s our priority to work in partnership to embed Kooth within local care pathways and integrate within the wider community and mental health support system. Within our presentation we will highlight the key elements of Kooth’s service offer and how we are working with Mental Health Support Teams in schools across the capital.
Instagram: @Kooth_Uk
Twitter: @kooth_plc
LinkedIn: Kooth PLC
Place2Be – delivering a whole school approach to mental health
Jacqueline Vaughan (Regional Director) & Cecilia Corbetta (Regional Clinical Lead) – Place2Be
Place2Be has provided MH services in schools for almost 30 years, delivering a ‘whole school approach’ to support children early through evidence-based practice and with a systemic approach working in true partnership with school communities. We will share insights, practical tools and suggestions, based on evidence and experience, to developing mentally healthy schools and supporting the wellbeing of pupils, families, and school staff.
Twitter: @Place2Be
Instagram:/ @_place2be
Reprezent – Shane Carey, Emily and Student Health Ambassador
Shane Carey, Founder and CEO Reprezent, Emily Stanghon, (Acting Deputy Head and Senior MH Lead) and Precious, Student Health Ambassador, Deptford Green School
On The Level is a peer-led, live and highly interactive mental health TV show that’s reached 28,000 young people so far across London and Essex. This session will give an overview of the show and its impact so far. Deptford Green School will share and celebrate their success with On The Level to widen access across different ethnic backgrounds and genders. One of the students and the School’s Senior Mental Health Lead will share how the show inspired the roles of Student Mental Health Ambassadors to share the strategies from the show even more widely.
Twitter: @DeptfordGreen @OnTheLevel_MH
Our Journey – Integrating School Based Mental Health Services
Gemma Fitzgerald, MHST Clinical Lead, Waltham Forest CAMHS & Kirsty Partridge Primary Care Team Clinical Lead, Waltham Forest
Gemma describes herself as an ‘Innovative and Inquisitive Mental Health Nurse’ with 15+ years’ experience of working within both targeted and universal health services – advocate for all things mental health and wellbeing.’ Kirsty is passionate about creativity and working collaboratively with Children, Young People and families, and believes participation is key! She is a social worker with 20+ years’ experience of working within mental health services.
MHSTs: An Educational Psychologist Perspective
Dr Katie Lydiatt Educational, Child and Adolescent Psychologist, MHST Service Development Manager, KCL and Senior Education Tutor for EMHP Course, and Michael Annan Educational, Child and Adolescent Psychologist, KCL and Co-Lead for EMHP Course
Katie and Michael present on reflections on the MHST from the perspectives of two educational psychologists. They will also be celebrating successes/ progress, and opportunities for MHSTs, including through strengthening the link between education and health.
MHSTs in southwest London: moving to a more specialist focus with examples from a trauma informed team and a specialist FE College team
Annika Clark – Consultant Lead for CAMHS Early Help SWLSTG
In southwest London we have 16 MHSTs across six boroughs, run by four different clinical providers. The SWL model involves each MHST working with a cluster of schools, led by a headteacher cluster lead. Many of the teams have a specialist focus, targeted on meeting the cluster need and local population. This talk will focus on two of the MHSTs run by SWLSTG MH Trust: an MHST taking a trauma informed approach and one working only with FE Colleges, focusing on transition to adulthood.
CYP Wellbeing Service Youtube Channel
Celebrating Diversity
Cristina Eddo (EMHP) and Ayla Mammadova (Clinical Lead) – Mind Westminster Brent & Wandsworth
Cristina and Ayla will present the diversity project that the team has been working on over the last few months as well as the purpose of the project, how it came to be and action plans that they have been working upon as a team to ensure that our workforce is competent and mindful of the importance of diversity when working with clients.
Twitter: @MindBWW
Instagram: @mindbww
HFEH Mind Youth Services: Open, Together, Responsive, Independent, Unstoppable
Nana Owusu (Director of CYP Services), Natalie Hardie (Wellbeing Team Service Manager and Trauma Informed Services & Inclusion Lead) and Rajini Broer (Mental Health Support Team Service Manager & Deputy Head of CYP Services) – HFEH MIND
Local Minds provide help and support directly to those who need it most. HFEH Mind will present on their Hub and Spoke model, MHST activity, reach and feedback, their education inclusion programme, and available support for school staff.
Instagram: @HFEHMind
Twitter: @HFEHMind