MHST – Early Impact Survey

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Introduction

As you know, Implementation of the MHST’s is expected to achieve a number of positive outcomes for education settings and children and families.  Therefore, we have developed a quick 5 min survey to provide a sense check of how we are doing so far as we move to fully operational and qualified teams. Feedback will be shared within our local Trailblazer Steering Group and helped to plan next steps in delivery.

Thankyou in advance.  Lynne Massam Project Lead HAST MHST

Feedback Responses

Question 6

Please use the below space to tell us anything in particular that you think we should know or any suggestions you may have to develop the teams over the next 12 months and thereafter.

There were 28 responses/comments

Mental Health & Wellbeing Lead (Primary School)

“We’ve fully appreciated all the support/time the MHST have given to us over this last year and are thankful that we have these on board with the whole school approach. Thank you.”

Head Teacher (Primary School)

“Although it was tricky to get started in the COVID environment. We have found our team adaptable and they have become an integral part of our Mental Health Offer.”

Assistant Head (Secondary School)

“I have been very pleased and appreciative of the support we have received – especially when the COVID difficulties are taken into account.”

Assistant Head for Inclusion (Primary School)

“I have been really impressed with both our Mental Health Lead from Alliance and with our EMHP. Both ladies have always been on hand to offer advice and support. The progress in our pupils following the work that has been delivered is evident and has allowed us to identify further pupils who required additional support as a result.  We have developed a strong partnership and the team have worked hard to support our pupils and parents.”

Mental Health Lead (PRU)

“It will be great when your CPD is ready as this will really benefit the staff in the PRU. The team have been so supportive and I have really enjoyed working with them.”

Sendco (Primary School) “It’s has been so positive having an agency there for school to refer to and seek advice from before immediately referring to camhs.”

Head of Welfare Mentors/Safeguarding Team (College)

“Face to face contact would be much more beneficial and quicker waiting times/lists.”

Deputy Head/SENCO (Primary School)

“The monthly meetings with our school cluster lead are always extremely valuable, informative and supportive.”

SENCO (Primary School)

“The MHST have adapted well to the COVID restrictions and offered bespoke support for your parents/carers and young people. Due to the impact of the pandemic, I think this will be vital to continue looking at the impact upon the mental health and n particular anxiety and self-esteem of children in our setting”.

SENCO (Primary School)-

“Debbie Lyth is fantastic. We are so fortunate to have her and the service from the Alliance professionals. Having professionals to continue with 1:1 work then an additional professional to lead work with groups of children in school would be the ideal situation for us.”

Mental Health Lead (Special School)

“Due to the limitations, linked to the pandemic, has hindered the amount of support/sessions we can provide our pupils and their families. Alliance have worked with us, as a school, throughout the pandemic and we have great communications with the team. Hopefully, moving forward we can access a more face to face in school approach.”

Principal (College)

“My team and the MHST have made very good progress as part of the trailblazer programme at Bede. The team are responsive and always willing to engage to discuss programmes and impact moving forward. I have been very impressed with the support and guidance to Bede so far. Thanks”

Headteacher

“Sadly there has been a lot of illness in our team so we have not had weekly input and some of the programmes have been delayed due to unforeseen circumstances. it has not yet had the full impact we hoped.”

School Counsellor and Pastoral Care (Primary School)

“I have developed a good relationship with both our key mental health worker and main co-ordinator.  We have had regular enough contact however unfortunately both members of staff have been off more recently. In the initial stages regular face to face contact was very effective and beneficial and hope this will begin again as soon as possible.  Having planned in advance consultation dates is helpful.”

 Deputy HeadTeacher (Primary School)

“School were concerned about some of the procedures in place are quite rigid and could not be altered – for instance a primary age child who is unable to fully recognise his needs can inform MHST that he has no issues or concerns in his initial assessment and will then not be able to access 1:1 support, even though all professionals and parents feel that there is an issue – and that this issue is likely to escalate as he grows older and then would be more in need of further specialist services, such as CAMHS.”  

Deputy Head, SENDCO, (Primary School)

“Excellent support for families and children. Supporting staff to find information. Good communication with Mental health lead. Always respond and answer questions/ queries.” Other agencies should not be able to discharge a child just because alliance /Trailblazer become involved.” “More CPD for staff would be useful but due to COVID this has been difficult.”

Headteacher (Primary School)

“The MHST has worked pro-actively with school and a Mental Health Policy/Action Plan has been worked collaboratively to determine what is to be put in practice. This was presented jointly to the school Governing Body and gave a clear overview of the work  to be done. Unfortunately, owing to the Covid19 lockdowns we are not as far on with the plan as we would like to be but it is a key priority for school in order to support our children and their families. The team have listened to our requirements and we have worked together to try and provide a quality service for our community. I am confident the outcomes will evidence this.”

Head teacher (Primary School)

“Responses are based on a change in MHST person so initial work carried out wasn’t able to be continued. New MHST is a trainee so doesn’t yet have the capacity to deliver as expected. We have had support from a more senior practitioner within Alliance and this has been very beneficial. Were the questionnaire to be based on that support, we would have scored it higher.”

Mental Health Lead (Primary School)

“I have enjoyed and valued working alongside the MHST. Kate and Vicky have supported us in so many ways. They have: given advice and support for a number of our children and families, provided a range of resources and ideas for staff to use, organised 1:1 zoom sessions, provided advice for parents and have shared useful resources with staff. The monthly meetings have been valuable in order to review and discuss cases.

Moving forward, we hope to deliver some group interventions. Unfortunately, COVID has had an impact on the delivery of this due to children not being able to mix in different bubbles. Support from the team with this could be a way forward and the continuation of the work that they currently do.  I gave 3 stars for the first question only because as I am not sure that there has been enough time to evaluate the impact of the interventions for individual cases and also, due to COVID, group interventions have not been able to take place.

I scored a 3 for question 5 as The MHST liaised with other agencies but CAMHs was one of them. Also, these cases would not have resulted in the child not being able to stay in education. I am happy to discuss my answers if you feel that they are unclear or I have misinterpreted them.Thank you.

Headteacher (Primary School)       

“We have had very little time allocated due to a worker being off sick and then leaving.  We have just started a universal ‘It’s a wrap’ in a y5/6 class which we think will be useful almost as a screening activity in identifying those pupils that haven’t initially been flagged.  We are optimistic for the future but our experience is only just starting really.”

Headteacher (Primary School)       

“The team have been excellent in providing group interventions, individual work and programmes for parents. We have received very positive feedback from parents about the Keeping your Cool programme which was delivered in school which has had a very positive impact on the children who have taken part in this. If there were opportunities for our own staff to shadow MHST staff to enable us to deliver more of this work, that would be useful. Referrals have been acknowledged immediately and following a referral, work has begun with children straight away. Some sessions with children about how to look after their own mental health and seek help when needed would be useful for our children if this could be explored by the MHST.”

Headteacher (Primary School)

“The trailblazer has been useful in school as we have access to support when we need it for example when a child identified as needing essential support this was available to them rather than being put on a waiting list. Lockdown and staff absence has reduced the effectiveness, but I know this cannot be helped.” 

Teacher of Vulnerable Pupils (Special School)   

“Alternative provisions may have difficulty ‘fitting in’ with the normal work carried out.  It may be that a slightly different approach be used to facilitate harder to reach pupils who already find it hard to access an academic curriculum in a mainstream school.”

SENDCO (Primary School)

“Really pleased with the support we have received.”

SENCO (Primary School)

“I think it has been a difficult year.  We are only in the early stages of support and due to COVID not been able to support as many children as we would have liked.  I think the initial meetings to discuss children work well and prioritising who needs support and what type of support.  We have many parents accessing the Incredible Years programme which has just started so it is difficult to measure impact yet.  Some parents are unable to do the programme due to work commitments so I think it would be useful to offer an evening time as a possibility for some.” 

Head (Primary School)

“Working with the MHST has proven incredibly useful in school.  It has helped identify resources and provided support for a number of children who otherwise may not have received support.”

Safeguarding & Wellbeing Officer (Secondary School) “Some of our staff completed the Reset and Restart session and found it very interesting and useful, more training for staff in school to enable them to support our students would be invaluable at this current time due to the impact Covid has had on some of our

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