This week I have welcomed news that the NHS Black Country Integrated Care Board has been selected to train two new Mental Health Support Teams, helping to expand access to mental health support for children and young people in schools across Stourbridge, Brierley Hill and Netherton.
I’ve heard from children and parents alike across Stourbridge, Brierley Hill and Netherton that access to mental health support is a top priority. That’s why I’m delighted that the NHS Black Country Integrated Care Board has been selected to train new Mental Health Support Teams, which will provide support for local schools and colleges once up and running.
Good mental health is fundamental to a child’s ability to learn, thrive and reach their full potential. These teams will help identify young people who need support earlier, provide targeted interventions and ensure help is available in the places where children spend most of their time.
This represents an important step towards a more preventative approach to mental health support, ensuring that children and young people can access help before problems reach crisis point. I look forward to seeing the positive difference this will make for families across our community.
The new teams will work directly with schools and colleges to identify pupils who need support, deliver mental health interventions, and provide one to one assistance where needed. The programme forms part of the Government’s commitment to ensure every school has access to a Mental Health Support Team by 2029.
Across England, almost six million pupils are already benefiting from Mental Health Support Teams, which play a vital role in supporting young people’s wellbeing and helping prevent mental health challenges from escalating.
These teams are already making a clear difference. Nine in ten schools and colleges say they are improving children’s mental health and wellbeing, while seven in ten report improved attendance — helping keep pupils in school and on track for their futures. The link between absence and lost opportunity is stark, with persistently absent pupils earning around £10,000 less by age 28. With around one million 16 to 24 year olds not in education, employment or training, and poor mental health a major barrier, this is a key challenge holding young people back. This reflects findings in the Milburn Review, which shows poor mental health is a barrier to education, employment and training. It also highlights a damaging cycle where poor mental health drives disengagement, and disengagement in turn worsens mental health.
The Government is continuing the national rollout of Mental Health Support Teams as part of its wider commitment to improving children’s mental health services and ensuring early intervention is available to every young person who needs it.
