Forward Thinking Birmingham joins hands with Compass to deliver more Mental Health Support to Birmingham School Children
Forward Thinking Birmingham (FTB), the city's 0-25s Mental Health Service, has joined hands with Compass, a charity providing health and wellbeing services, to deliver more Mental Health Support to school children in Birmingham.
The service, commissioned by Birmingham Women's and Children's NHS Foundation Trust, will provide wellbeing support to children in schools in the North, East & West of Birmingham, with the aim of preventing young people from developing mental health issues in the future.
The service, which already supports more than 90 schools in the North and East of the city, will now expand to look after over 46,000 more students in 70 primary schools, 21 secondary schools and five special schools in Handsworth, Lozells, Aston, Ladywood and Erdington.
Colmore Junior School in Kings Heath is one school in Birmingham who are already benefiting from having a Mental Health Support Team.
Adam Hughes, Senior Learning Mentor from Colmore Junior, said: "We've seen a really positive impact on our children and their families who have had support from the Mental Health Support Team.
"Children have been able to access really effective learning about their mental health, including strategies that enable them to take some control back over their difficult feelings.
Adam added: "I am very happy to hear that this kind of support is going to be accessed by more young people and their families because it is so vital."
Sarah-Jane Smith, Head of Nursing for Early Help Services in FTB said: "We have already seen the importance and value of the MHST services in the current schools we work. Birmingham is an amazing city, but we want mental health services to be more accessible for young people.
"It's so important that we give young people the skills early on to navigate their wellbeing and manage difficult feelings, which could potentially prevent them from developing mental health conditions in the future.”
Sarah-Jane added: "We are really excited to work with Compass in this new partnership so we can offer this vital service to more young people."
Rachel Bundock, Chief Executive Officer of Compass, said: "We are delighted to be joining Forward Thinking Birmingham. Through this dynamic partnership children, young people, families and schools are being enabled to access the support they need, when they need it.
"Compass is a well-established charity and a collaborative and impactful provider of MHSTs and children and young people's mental health and wellbeing services."
FTB will continue to support schools in the South of Birmingham and will work closely alongside Compass as they expand services across the city.
The MHST will consist of Trainee Education Mental Health Practitioners (EMHPs) and Qualified EMHPs who have completed their university placements. They will deliver evidence-based therapeutic support for children and young people in local schools.
The teams also assist Senior Mental Health Leads within selected schools to develop their Whole School Approach to mental health and wellbeing underpinned by Public Health England’s promoting children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing.
Mental Health Workshops at Saltley Academy
Another school benefitting from the mental health workshops is Saltley Academy in Birmingham. We spoke to students about what they thought about the workshops and why it's important we speak about mental health in school. Watch the full video on YouTube below: