Senior mental health lead programme
The Department of Education (DfE) advise that all schools and colleges should have a senior mental health lead (SMHL). This person would be responsible for leading on the planning and delivery of whole school approaches to mental health and wellbeing.
East Sussex County Council run a 2.5 day training that has been highly scored in our latest deep dive assessment by the DfE.
The benefits of our training programme
- Mental Health and Emotional Wellbeing (MHEW) advisors run the course. They have extensive experience working in range of education settings and knowledge of mental health.
- We offer follow up support visits to help you to plan for change, develop and implement whole school action plans
- You can access monthly reflective practice groups to support with problem-solving, connecting with other SMHL’s, share ideas and reduce the emotional load of the role
- This programme is eligible for the £1200 DfE senior mental health lead training grant.
Use course code SMHL061 when applying for the grant.
For dates and to book log in to the Learning Portal.
MHEW: Introduction to the role of Senior Mental Health Lead (SMHL)
Claim the training grant
Your school or college can claim a £1,200 senior mental health lead training grant.
Claim the grant, and access DfE quality assured training tailored to the needs of your setting.
If you previously claimed a grant and your lead left before fully developing your approach, apply for a 2nd grant.
Please note: If you have already applied for a grant and booked training, check that you have completed both parts of your application.
We cannot issue payment until you complete both steps.
Why is the training so important?
Supporting mental health and wellbeing provides better life chances for all children and young people. It is also key to improving attendance and engagement in learning.
The training will help to:
- Identify need, and monitor impact, of mental health/wellbeing support
- Achieve the best possible outcomes from your existing in-school provision
- Develop approaches aligned with your DSL/SENCO’s work
- Develop your universal and targeted support offer
- Engage pupils and learners, and develop positive relationships with parents/carers