Should schools do more to support mental health?
With reports piling up each year regarding the mental health crises young people are facing, increasingly urgent calls are being made to the government to address the problem. With support services already overwhelmed, many have begun advocating for schools to provide mental health support. And as thousands of children are still left on waiting lists for support, exacerbating feelings of despair, new solutions have been proposed.
Why schools?
Of course, with children spending so much of their time in schools, many of their mental health issues can arise there, but they can also be identified and monitored there. Experts can discern who may be suffering early on and provide direct support.
Support in a school setting can also reach large numbers of students at the same time, providing crucial and specialist help and advice to many people who otherwise may not seek it. If established on a nationwide scale, the attitude towards mental health can also shift, putting young people first. By reallocating resources to schools, education on the matter can be provided naturally, and there is less pressure on students and parents to seek out resources themselves.
The change could also provide plenty of new job opportunities, opening the way for more people to learn and work in the field. For those seeking to get involved, information on mental health training courses Plymouth can be found online from specialist training providers such as tidaltraining.co.uk/mental-health-training-courses/plymouth.
Possible Solutions
One proposed solution includes local wellbeing surveys being distributed across the country, allowing everyone to have their voice heard, whilst remaining somewhat anonymous (and not having to directly discuss their issues, which is challenging for many). The BeeWell programme is one such example
Advocates are stressing the importance of not burdening teachers, using digital resources to provide additional help to students, again, with the benefit of anonymity. Hearing from students privately and in turn privately informing schools will allow for more effective action to be taken.
Surveys also allow for easier identification across the country, with geographical hotspots being easier to find, making the allocation of resources more effective.
