World Mental Health Day focus: building early mental health support for children and young people in school

This World Mental Health Day (10 October 2024), health and care partners are sharing plans to further expand help and support for more children and young people across Sussex.

Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs) are being rolled out to a further 45 schools, meaning that they will soon be available in 302 schools across Brighton and Hove, East Sussex and West Sussex.

Mental Health Support Teams are a partnership between the NHS and local authorities, supporting pupils directly with mild to moderate mental health issues such as sleep difficulties, low mood, or anxiety.

There are currently 17 MHSTs in Sussex, supporting a total of 257 schools[1] and reaching 233,657 children and young people.

Mental Health Support Teams in Sussex are the most active in the Southeast, supporting the largest number of families and schools with mental health and emotional wellbeing, in and outside of the classroom. The current expansion will mean that MHSTs will support 65 per cent of Sussex schools.

VIDEO: Mental Health Ambassadors: young people supporting their peers with emotional wellbeing in schools https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BIThZ9hNxg&list=PL4CKjNUu0Q8cYkh0RZQuSxpIGCW-XXVC2&index=3

The teams also host workshops for parents and carers and promoting a whole school approach to mental health and wellbeing in and outside of the classroom with teaching staff.

One Sussex parent fed back to the team: “I am pleased to say that after the few sessions my daughter became more positive and was happier to go to school.”

They not only provide direct support to pupils but also advise staff and liaise with external specialist services to help children and young people to get the right support and stay in education.

“Having a trained and skilled practitioner in school on a regular basis has made a real difference to pupils, families and staff,” said a Sussex teacher. “The practitioner can offer a range of support, including one to one work and group work, depending on specific individual and school needs. They are also based on the school site so able to advise and liaise with staff, upskilling them and helping support the wider community as a result. The team sees children within their own school setting which reduces anxiety and missed appointments, as well as loss of learning through travelling time.”

VIDEO: Supporting children with their mental health and wellbeing in schools https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhFRCkQ9Yew&list=PL4CKjNUu0Q8cYkh0RZQuSxpIGCW-XXVC2&index=2

Another parent said: “My son’s confidence has increased greatly since he has been seeing the team. He’s really proud of how far he has come and we are all incredibly thankful for the work that the team has done with him. He has loved the sessions and was sad that they came to an end. We have now got a range of strategies and approaches that we can return to that were in line with the ones he did with them. Thank you so much. He is about to start high school and this has made all the difference.”

VIDEO: Mental Health Support Teams: Helping Children Transition from Primary to Secondary School https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oXDJeV7iSs&list=PL4CKjNUu0Q8cYkh0RZQuSxpIGCW-XXVC2&index=1

One of the key priorities for health and care partners in Sussex this year is to ensure children and young people have the best start in life. We are working together to make sure children have the best possible coordinated care throughout childhood. Read more on our website.

More on our work to support children and young people is also set out in Foundations for Our Future Children and Young People Mental Health Strategy 2022 – 2027.

Outside of the classroom young people aged 16 to 25 can also access community-based emotional wellbeing and mental health services through the expansion of the i-Rock model into West Sussex last year, complimenting services already provided in Hastings and Eastbourne, as well as the Youth Advice Centre in Brighton.

More mental health guidance and support for young people is available online.

[1] 35 schools in Brighton and Hove, 75 schools in East Sussex, and 147 schools in West Sussex