PULSE


West Kent Mental health for schools


West Kent Mind (WKM) is a local independent charity. Its mission is to make sure anyone with a mental health problem has somewhere to turn for advice and support. The charity does all that it can to support mental health here in West Kent, by offering affordable therapies, supported housing, wellbeing activities and groups, workshops and training in organisations and schools.


At the top of the Community Development Department agenda is the work they do in schools in and around West Kent. Passionate advocates of early intervention, their training team is made up of two Mental Health First Aid Instructors and a qualified therapist. As part of their whole school approach they offer training to teaching staff, parents and students covering a range of subject areas, raising awareness and working to reduce the stigma and discrimination surrounding mental health.


Evidence suggests that incidents of mental health problems are increasing in children, with 1 in 10 children aged 5-16 experiencing a mental health problem.


This is equivalent to about 3 children in every class.


In response to these statistics, West Kent Mind have created MH4 Schools. This innovative whole school project enables us to partner with schools and train staff in Mental Health First Aid (MHFA), Mind Fitness and Suicide


Awareness and Prevention. Training focuses on early intervention and gives staff the skills and confidence to support children and young people experiencing mental health problems.


In understanding how pivotal physical activity is to children’s well-being, West Kent Mind deliver a programme launched by National Mind in 2014 called ‘Get Set to Go’. The workshop is aimed at sports coaches, PE teachers or those working in sporting activities or clubs. This enables those trained to help improve the lives of people with mental health problems through access to sport. The programme is supported by Sport England and the National Lottery. The three hour workshop aims to increase knowledge and understanding of mental health


and how this knowledge might be applied through sport or physical activity. Helping to increase awareness and learning around sport and its positive impact on our mental health and wellbeing.


Being active is great for your physical health and fitness, and evidence shows that it can also improve your mental wellbeing. New guidelines issued by Ofsted support a framework focusing on ‘personal development, behaviour and welfare’. Inspectors will now be ‘looking to see that learners are knowledgeable about how to keep themselves healthy, both emotionally and physically’. WKM is able to meet this need with its comprehensive training programme delivering tangible benefits to all those trained:


 MHFA Youth trained staff are equipped and able to intervene early


 Mind Fitness trained staff will have interactive session plans to encourage discussion about mental health


 staff and students will have greater understanding of their own and others mental health


 creating a sustainable culture change and increasing whole school mental health resilience and literacy.


Lucy Adams, the Community Development Director, has been at West Kent Mind for four years.


“We have seen an increasing number of schools reach out asking for help, advice and training on mental health awareness for their staff, students and parents, particularly in the last 18 months’’


‘‘The response to training


delivered has been overwhelming with schools recognising the need for learning and education on mental health in the early years ”


“Excellent course. Would highly recommend to all parents and staff”


“Most powerful message for me was the eventual recovery from mental illness”


For more information about our MH4 School Programme please contact: lucy.adams@westkentmind.org.uk


For further information on our services please visit: www.westkentmind.org.uk Or call us on: 01732 744950 THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT


14 The Kent & Medway School Sports Magazine


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