Theresa May announced that all teachers in England and Wales will be trained to spot the early signs of mental illness, and will receive practical advice on how to deal with issues such as depression and anxiety, suicide and psychosis, self-harm, and eating disorders.
May said this package includes a pledge for “world-class teaching and training materials for all teachers to use in classrooms to meet the new requirements for mental health education for all primary and secondary pupils”.
Before leaving office May is using some of her remaining political authority,has called for improvements in preventing problems. . May says the measures will “make sure at every stage of life, for people of all backgrounds, preventing mental illness gets the urgent attention it deserves”.
£200,000 in government funding during the first year, Mental Health First Aid will deliver the training to 1,000 staff. In the following second and third years, this will be extended to cover every secondary school in England.
Secretary of State for Health, Jeremy Hunt, said: “Teachers provide outstanding pastoral care and support for their pupils, but many have said that they would appreciate more formal training on how to understand and respond to acute mental distress”.
Education Secretary Justine Greening added that the new training “will give teachers more confidence in tackling mental health issues and build on the fantastic support we know they already give their pupils”.
Around one in 10 children are believed to have a diagnosable mental health disorder, with half of all mental health conditions starting before the age of 14.
Sarah Brennan, Chief Executive of YoungMinds, said: “Children and young people today are facing a huge range of pressures, from exam stress to online bullying”
But Labour claimed that mental health services are stretched “to their breaking point” and sufferers are not receiving the aid they need.
“Training for teachers and other professionals is welcome but when we know thousands of children and young people are either turned away from mental health services or have to wait too long for treatment, it’s clear that she’s missing the real issue,” said Barbara Keeley, shadow minister for mental health and social care.
>Juthy Saha
