The wellbeing for education return brief programme overview
Wellbeing for Education Return is an £8million package of training and resources, intended to support schools and further education providers to promote the wellbeing, resilience and mental health of children and young people, their colleagues and themselves and parents and carers in the context of the coronavirus pandemic. It includes:
- A nationally developed training package for local experts to adapt and deliver to education staff
- Funding for Local Authorities to secure local experts to adapt and deliver the training into schools and further education providers and provide ongoing support until March 2021
- A recorded webinar for education providers and staff who do not have access to a local offer, or which can be used to supplement local provision
The aim is to help all schools and further education providers to provide wellbeing support for children and young people, staff and parents and carers, within the scope of their existing roles and drawing on their existing life experience, skills and personal qualities. The intention is to help local areas provide wraparound support to prevent the development and deterioration of mental health issues and ensure that those with pre-existing or emerging difficulties access the right support.
Wellbeing for Education Return has been funded by the Department for Education and Department of Health and Social Care, in partnership with NHS Health Education England, NHS Public Health England, and NHS England and Improvement. The content has been developed by MindEd, and initial training for local experts and the webinar for education staff delivered by the Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families. All resources have been developed with input from mental health and education experts, local authorities, the voluntary and community sector and school and further education leaders.
The intention is that local area experts adapt and deliver this training content according to their local contexts, including signposting to local services, to nominated school or further education staff. Those staff will then, supported by the local experts, share the learning, resources and materials within their own settings. The training offers straightforward, evidence-based tools and resources for education staff to use across age ranges and education setting types, as well as guidance on how to identify warning signs and when to signpost or refer to other services.
Wellbeing for Education Return is designed to complement and build upon Government's longer-term plans to improve evidence-based, outcomes-focused, children and young people's mental health support, which has been adjusted in light of the pandemic. This includes continuing to invest in specialist NHS services and Mental Health Support Teams, roll out the Schools and Colleges Link Programme to support partnership working across education and health and take forward training for senior mental health leads.
