Pupils: Self-harm

(asked on 14th February 2019) - View Source

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of his Department's guidance to schools on supporting students affected by self-harm.


Answered by
Nick Gibb Portrait
Nick Gibb
This question was answered on 19th February 2019

The Government has taken a range of actions to help schools and colleges to respond to and prevent self-harm. Training for teachers on self-harm is available through MindEd, a free online portal which has been developed with Government funding to provide information on mental health problems to all professionals working with young people. The Government is also funding the offer of mental health awareness training to all schools. From September 2020, Relationships, Sex and Health Education will be compulsory. This will include content on mental health and wellbeing as well as the rules and principles for keeping safe online, how to recognise harmful content and risks.

Schools and colleges must also have regard to the statutory Keeping Children Safe in Education guidance when carrying out their duties to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. The Department requires all school and college staff to receive appropriate safeguarding and child protection training, so they know what to do if they suspect a child is at risk of harm, including self-harm.

Guidance to schools cannot be sufficient on its own. Where more serious problems occur, schools and colleges need specialist support. The Government has made available an additional £1.4 billion in England to transform children and young people’s mental health services. The commitments made in the NHS Long Term Plan will build on this, including by providing mental health support teams to work directly with schools and colleges, and expanding timely, age appropriate crisis services.

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