Supporting staff to aid student wellbeing

Children and young people are set to benefit from increased mental health support thanks to a training programme being rolled out to school and college communities.

Wellbeing for Education Return is a new Department for Education (DfE) funded package of training and resources.

It is intended to support education staff to help children and young people, teachers, parents and carers with mental health, wellbeing and resilience, in light of the impact of COVID-19 and lockdown.

Schools across the borough offered education support during the lockdown period and have welcomed children back into school for the autumn term.

They have put into place measures to support physical and mental wellbeing and the additional training will assist staff to identify potential issues early on provide early intervention to help pupils build their own resilience and access the right support.

The training addresses concerns related to mental health and emotional wellbeing such as bereavement and loss, anxiety, low mood, stress and trauma, warning signs and signposting.

Councillor Ruth Buttery, cabinet member for children and young people at Dudley Council, said:

This programme compliments the Every Mind Matters campaign and builds on the excellent work our schools and educational settings are already doing to support our children and young people as they return to education.

This training is available to all education staff, including and beyond teachers, tutors and senior leaders, giving them additional skills to help identify issues before they arise and helping our children and young people to access the support they need.

The Wellbeing for Education Return training has been developed by the e-learning platform MindEd, working closely with the Anna Freud Centre for Children and Families (AFC). Dudley Educational Psychology Service will train staff at Dudley schools and colleges over the Autumn and Spring terms.

The aim is to help as many schools and further education providers as possible to provide wellbeing support for children and young people, preventing as many as possible from developing mental health difficulties and ensuring those with pre-existing or emerging difficulties access the right support.

Training will be rolled out after October half term and is supported by the Every Mind Matters national programme which launched when children returned to school.