To fully support pupil mental health it is important that staff are given the right help through training. This increases staff understanding of and confidence talking about mental health, which has a cascade effect on pupil mental health and resilience, benefitting the whole community.
On this page you will find services which can offer staff training and support on social and emotional mental health and workshops you can choose to put on for pupils and parents. Below are the key areas in which schools require training or support and the services that can offer the support. Please click on the white buttons for more information about individual services.
The Islington Family Directory has a list of services which support individual children.
SEMH staff training and support offer
- Developing resilience or a growth mind set
- Managing emotions, anxiety and change
- Trauma and impact on behaviour
- Staff wellbeing
- Developing positive relationships, social skills and friendships
- Supporting parents and carers
- Identifying and supporting pupils with specific mental health needs
- Return and recovery
- Parent workshops
- Pupil workshops (targeted group work)
CAMHS in School Team
Primary and secondary - live online or in person
They offer staff training on the following topics:
- Solihull Approach model for understanding children’s behaviour and emotional reactions
- introduction to Complex Trauma (delivered by ITIPS network, including CAMHS)
- understanding and working in school with young people who self-harm
- emotion regulation
- supporting pupils with loss and bereavement in a school setting (delivered by CAMHS and EPS)
- the impact of parental mental health: building collaborative relationships with parents and carers
- attachment Behaviour in Schools (delivered by CAMHS and NRCOS)
- supporting pupils with specific mental health needs (various topics)
See CAMHS in school team staff training offer 2020-21 for further detail on each course or speak to your school’s CAMHS clinician
Educational Psychology Service (EPS)
Primary and secondary - live online or in person
They offer the following training and support:
- ‘Changing Lives’ training programme for Teaching Assistants– supporting the emotional wellbeing and mental health of pupils in schools.
- Emotion Coaching for staff and parents (initial training and workshops)
- Introduction to Complex Trauma (delivered by ITIPS network, including EPS)
- Offering reflective spaces for individual and reflective groups for staff to support emotional wellbeing and resilience
- Supporting pupils with loss and bereavement in a school setting (delivered by CAMHS and EPS)
- Using Person Centred Approaches to review individual progress (particularly for EHCP reviews)
- Using a MAPS and PATHS approach to support whole school change and development
- Supporting staff in understanding the presenting behaviours of pupils with SEMH needs
- Working with pupils and staff to set up a pupil focused ‘Circle of Friends’
- Workshops for groups of students to build confidence in their ability; teaching strategies to help them develop emotional regulation and coping skills
Talk to your school’s EP for more information
School Wellbeing Service (SWS)
Primary and secondary - live online or in person
The SWS supports children, young people and families experiencing mild to moderate mental health difficulties such as, worries, anxiety, stress and low mood, as well as promoting a whole school approach to emotional wellbeing and resilience.
They offer staff training on:
- awareness and support for pupils mental health
- supporting pupils with worries about coming back to school
- having meaningful conversations with young people
- narrative approach – helping children tell about their experiences (of eg coronavirus) in safe way
Workshops:
- for young people, parents and staff
Contact your school’s SWS practitioner to discuss training or workshops in more detail or email islccg.sws@nhs.net
Islington Trauma Informed Practices in Schools (iTIPS)
Primary and secondary - buy into offer
Islington Trauma Informed Practices in Schools (iTIPS) is a project that has been running successfully since 2017. iTIPS practitioners helps schools to embed a whole-school trauma informed approach for the benefit of pupils and staff. Each iTIPS school has an allocated iTIPS Practitioner from the iTIPS team (Islington CAMHS clinicians and Islington Educational Psychologists), to train and consult with school staff, to support the development of trauma informed practice in the school. Primary Schools have an iTIPS practitioner for half a day a fortnight and secondary schools for half a day a week. We aim to help improve attendance, reduce exclusions, support school staff, and help school staff to improve the social, emotional and learning outcomes for traumatised children.
Find out more on the iTIPS webpage or to apply to join the programme email Helen Cameron
Health and wellbeing team
Primary and secondary - live online or in person
The team can offer training tailored to your schools needs on mental health and PSHE:
- return and recovery
staff wellbeing (option for joint training with your school’s CAMHS clinician)
- staff training on being ready to teach health and relationships - an opportunity to discuss concerns, potential triggers and solutions for teachers
- one to one coaching for PSHE leaders and teachers (including NQTs) on concerns, action planning, managing workload, setting priorities and work life balance
New River College outreach team
Primary and secondary - live online or in person
The NRC Outreach Service provides services to schools to improve pupil/student interactions with school and adults, and to reduce exclusions.
- Staff training around trauma, behaviour management strategies and understanding pupil behaviour. They provide a core offer of central training and bespoke training for staff in schools.
- The secondary team offer mentoring and small group work for young people struggling to engage in school
Contact Tim Webb (tel: 020 7527 5735) or visit the website
The Bridge Outreach service
Primary - pre-recorded
The Bridge Outreach Service aims at building capacity of Islington school staff in meeting the needs of pupils with autism and/or SLD.
Workshop for pupils: ‘Getting Back to Green’: a 7-week whole class emotional literacy programme for Primary school pupils. It aims to help pupils:
- recognise and label emotions (including how they can manifest in the body)
- learn how to manage emotions
The programme is delivered by the class teachers but the Bridge Outreach team can meet with school staff to go through the programme. Alternatively schools can access a short introduction webinar. A resource pack, including a PowerPoint presentation and printable materials, is available upon request by email.
Direct Action Project
Primary and secondary - live online or in person
The Direct Action Project run informal workshops and creative programmes including drama, poetry and art with young people and parents in schools to raise awareness about mental health and to challenge stigma. They also deliver bespoke mental health awareness training for school staff.
Training options include:
- increase general understanding of mental health, awareness of key anti-stigma issues and local sources of support (Introduction to mental health & stigma)
- increase general confidence talking to children and/or young people about mental health and supporting a young person experiencing mental distress
- supporting staff wellbeing, including staff emotional regulation / signposting for further help / stress
- increase general understanding of depression & anxiety, including how they link to and differentiate from stress (stress, anxiety & depression)
- increase general understanding of a range of mental health conditions including: psychosis & bi-polar disorder, self harm, suicide awareness, eating disorders
See the DAP schools offer for more information, email or contact Emma Charlton (Tel: 020 7837 6082)
Charlie Waller Trust
Primary and secondary - live online or in person
Mental health training teaches participants about common mental health problems, aims to reduce mental health stigma and offer messages of hope. Common training topics include:
- general mental health awareness
- depression
- anxiety
- self-harm
- eating disorders
- promoting positive mental health
Training can be designed bespoke to the needs of the school, for small or large groups and can last from an hour to several days, depending on requirements. Schools should liaise with CWT and their CAMHS clinician when arranging the training.
Contact Annabelle Martin (Tel: 01635 869754 / 077 2585 6710)
Feeling good for schools programme
Secondary - pre-recorded
A free, teacher led two part programme for pupils in year 7 and 8 designed to increase pupil resilience, self-perception and motivation through positive mental health training. Each part consists of six weekly sessions, ideally taught during PSHE lessons and includes:
- online pre-recorded staff training (3 hours) on supporting pupil mental health and delivering the Feeling good for schools programme which is designed to increase teachers confidence in teaching the skills for good mental health
- staff and parents have free access to an NHS-accredited app for adults as part of the programme
- pupils have free access to the NHS-accredited app for young people
For more information please email Roisin Thomson