The 'Transforming children and young people's mental health provision: a green paper', published in December 2017, sets out the government's proposals for creating a strong network of support in schools. As part of these proposals, the government pledged to support all schools to identify and train a senior mental health lead. In June 2021, the government published guidance on 'Promoting and supporting mental health and wellbeing in schools and colleges' which outlines the role of a mental health lead and the training involved.

This article will discuss the following:

What does a mental health lead do?
Who can be a mental health lead?
How will the mental health lead be trained?
What grant funding is available?

Read on to learn more about each key point.

What does a mental health lead do?

The senior mental health lead is responsible for implementing a whole-school approach towards mental health to promote good mental wellbeing and resilience amongst pupils and staff. In particular, they are responsible for:

Overseeing the whole-school approach towards mental health and wellbeing, including how it is reflected in the design of behaviour policies, the curriculum and pastoral support, how staff are supported with their own wellbeing, and how pupils and parents are engaged.
Supporting the identification of pupils at risk, or showing signs, of mental ill health.
Gaining knowledge of the local mental health services and working with them to offer pupils further mental health support where it is appropriate.
Coordinating the mental health needs of pupils and overseeing the delivery of interventions where these are being delivered in school.
Supporting staff in contact with pupils with mental health needs to help raise awareness and give all staff the confidence to work with pupils.

Who can be a mental health lead?

There is no requirement for the mental health lead to be a mental health professional; mental health leads are likely to be members of staff in senior positions, who can take a strategic overview of the school’s approach towards mental health.

The government also highlighted that education staff should not diagnose mental health conditions or be required to deliver mental health interventions.

The government has stressed that a mental health lead is not a statutory requirement, highlighting that schools should have the flexibility to deliver the role so that it fits within their existing staff responsibilities and approach to supporting mental health and wellbeing.

As schools are only able to claim one grant, when choosing a mental health lead schools should take into account succession planning and career development plans.

How will the mental health lead be trained?

The government aims to ensure that training for mental health leads is based on evidence and good practice, specifying that training for the role should be substantial and appropriately long term.

Every school can decide who receives training – it could be for a headteacher, deputy headteacher, member of the SLT, or a non-SLT staff member who possesses the appropriate qualities, including a strong regard to the whole-school approach to mental health and wellbeing.

Specifically, the training will:

Provide clarity on how the role is beneficial to the school.
Outline how responsibilities can be delivered in effective and manageable ways that are adaptable to different types of schools.
Give senior leaders knowledge and skills to develop an effective whole school approach to mental health.
Introduce new approaches to support mental health.

The programme is also intended to help schools use existing resources more effectively whilst promoting good mental health and wellbeing in the school. The DfE claims that the programme enables schools to quickly identify individual pupils who need mental health support and work in conjunction with local children and young people’s mental health support services.

The DfE’s ‘Learning outcomes for senior mental health leads in schools and colleges’ provides further information on the role of a mental health lead and the duties in which they will need to be trained to carry out the role successfully. The document provides an overview of what a senior mental health lead will learn in their role including:

Leadership and management.
Identifying needs and monitoring impact of interventions.
Targeted support and appropriate referrals.
Staff development.
Creating an ethos and environment that promotes respect and values diversity.
Enabling the student voice.
Working with parents, families and carers.
Curriculum, teaching and learning.

The government will ensure that training is made available to every mental health lead in each school, rather than provide funding based on pupil numbers.

Additional provision will be commissioned if there are not sufficient high-quality courses that can be delivered.

Further information on DfE quality-assured courses that schools in England can pay for using a senior mental health lead training grant can be found here.

Existing mental health leads, or staff members who have previously had the relevant training can still be nominated for this training. Existing senior leads may wish to:

Develop or refresh their knowledge.
Get more advanced training.
Gain relevant qualifications.

What grant funding is available?

The DfE is offering £1,200 in grant funding for schools to train a senior mental health lead to develop and implement a whole-school approach to mental health and wellbeing. This training is not compulsory, but it is part of the government’s commitment to offer this training to all eligible schools by 2025.

Eligible schools are now able to apply for a training grant to commence training within the 2022/2023 financial year, up to 31 March 2023. There are two forms which must be filled out – an initial application form to check eligibility and reserve the grant, and one to upload evidence of having booked a DfE quality assured training course. Both forms can be found here, and conditions for the 2022/2023 financial year can be found here.

Payment will be made on a quarterly basis:

To most schools on the last working day of June 2022, September 2022, December 2022 and March 2023.
To academies on the first working day of July 2022, October 2022, January 2023 and April 2023.

The training grant should be used to help schools:

Use existing resources more effectively.
Promote positive mental health and wellbeing in the school.
Identify individual pupils who need mental health support.
Work in conjunction with local young people’s mental health services.

Any part of the grant not used on a DfE quality assured course can be used for the following:

Supply cover for the senior mental health lead
To fund further training, activity or resources

Schools can still make use of the DfE assured training without the use of the grant.

To mark Mental Health Awareness Week in May 2022, the DfE announced a further £7 million of funding for schools to train a senior mental health lead, bringing the total amount of funding for 2022/2023 to £10 million.

What’s next?

Before schools submit their grant claim they must:

Have the commitment of the SLT to implement a whole school approach to mental health and wellbeing in the school.
Have identified a senior mental health lead, ready to receive the training in the 2021 to 2022 financial year and oversee the whole school approach.