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Mental Health Support Teams (MHST)

Corby Technical School is delighted to have started working with Mental Health Support Teams (MHST) We already have successfully trained staff in Mental Health First Aid, and we are delighted that as a school, we have access to this level of support and intervention work.

Resources for Families

WHAT ARE THE MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT TEAMS?

Mental Health Support Teams (MHST) have been created to offer early intervention, low intensity, mental health support within schools for children and young people with mild to moderate mental health difficulties. The MHST will also support the Mental Health Leads to introduce and develop a Whole School Approach to wellbeing.

The MHST will also offer support and advice to education setting staff to identify the most appropriate services for their need and help liaise with other appropriate services.

The purpose of the MHST is to improve the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people and is driven by the Green Paper ‘Transforming Children and Young People’s Mental Health Provision’ (www.gov.uk)

In Northamptonshire, Mental Health Support Teams are developing in schools. Each team will consist of 4 trainee Education Mental Health Practitioners, one CBT Therapist/supervisor, 1 Mental Health Practitioner/supervisor. There is also a full time administrative post and a MHST Clinical and Team Lead. The MHST will sit within CAMHS services within Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.

At Corby Technical School The Mental Health First Aiders are,

Miss Buffini, Mrs Morgan, Mrs Feeley, Mr Armstrong and Mrs Toye 

MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT TEAMS (MHST)

Meet The Team  - click here to view the Team.

Please follow this video link for a presentation from the MHST.

Summer Care for Emotional Health.

If you are in need of some additional support over the summer break, please look at these resources and speak to an adult who is able to signpost you to services,

secondary-healthy-and-unhealthy-coping-strategies-toolkit.pdf (mentallyhealthyschools.org.uk) – Secondary schools

This self-care plan can be a valuable tool to support your emotional health over the summer break: my-self-care-plan-secondary.pdf (annafreud.org)

WHAT ARE EDUCATION MENTAL HEALTH PRACTITIONERS?

Education Mental Health Practitioners (EMHPs) are part of the government’s MHST plans for schools to provide mental health early intervention support for children and young people. EMHPs are currently training at Northampton University and will be at University 2 days a week whilst working 3 days a week in schools to gain qualification and experience. This phase is the ‘trainee phase’. During this time, they will build up their experience through individual, group and whole school work with pupils, families and staff.

SUMMARY OF THE TRAINEE EMHP ROLE

EMHPs have a clear criteria to support low level (low intensity) mental health needs such as low mood, anxiety and phobias through short term pieces of work (4-8 sessions). EMHPs will be able to provide assessments, evidence based individual and group pupil work, shared decision making with pupils, family parenting groups, onward signposting to other teams and services and whole school projects.

The interventions offered will be CBT informed and robust clinical supervision is offered to all practitioners within the MHST.

  • Trainee EMHPs will receive weekly clinical supervision from a supervisor to be able to discuss their cases
  • Informed consent will be required from children, young people and parent/carers
  • As part of their training and supervision, trainee EMHPs will be required to video their sessions, the recording will be used for training and supervision requirements only and consent for this can be taken away at any point and will not affect the intervention offered the child, young person, or parent/carer
  • All interventions will be recorded on SystemOne, which is our health electronic record system
  • All MHST staff have enhanced DBS checks
 

WHAT CAN TRAINEE EMHPS CAN SUPPORT WITH?

There are many things EMHPs can help with here at CTS, where needs are more complex, they may need to refer a young person onto another team or service that is better placed to help. 

The below table shows the types of presentations EMHPs can help with, things they may be able to help with (with discretion and under close supervision), and things they won’t be able to help with.

Consultation Checklist

Further information for staff in school, parents and carer can be found here.