Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what progress has been made on training designated senior mental health leads in schools since that policy was announced in 2017.

The COVID-19 outbreak has had wide-reaching impacts across the education sector. In response, the government has initially prioritised providing bespoke training and support to meet the immediate challenges that all schools and colleges will face in supporting the wellbeing of children and young people during the outbreak and the wider return to schools and colleges.

Our £8 million Wellbeing for Education Return initiative will train local experts to provide additional training and advice for schools and colleges to help support pupil and student wellbeing, resilience and recovery in light of the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak and lockdown. It is being delivered in partnership with local authorities, the Department of Health and Social Care, the Health and Safety Commission, Health Education England, Public Health England, NHS England and voluntary sector organisations. It will give staff the confidence to support pupils and students, their parents, carers and their own colleagues, and help them know how and where to access appropriate specialist support when needed.

In addition, government guidance has advised schools on supporting mental health and wellbeing during the outbreak and specialist NHS services have remained open throughout. We have also provided over £9 million to leading mental health charities to help them expand and reach those most in need.

Alongside this additional new support, the government remains committed to the longer term improvements set out in the government’s 2018 response to the consultation on the relevant green paper. This includes our commitment to train senior mental health leads in schools and colleges, which we will take forward as soon as possible.