Getting Help

This grouping comprises those children, young people and families who would benefit from focused, evidence-based treatment, with clear aims, and criteria for assessing whether aims have been achieved.

This grouping would include children and young people with difficulties that fell within the remit of NICE guidance but also where it was less clear which NICE guidance would guide practice.

Staff

• What processes and practices are in place that identify and recognise emerging mental health and emotional problems?
• Do staff regularly meet to discuss children causing concern and would they know who to speak to if they had concerns?
• Do you have any staff who are trained to deliver group work or one-to-ones with pupils with common mental health needs?
• What advice and help do you get from external agencies for support with common mental health issues? (e.g. Educational Psychology, Mental Health Support Teams etc)
• Does the Senior Mental Health Lead access supervision (internally or externally)?

Students

• How do you use pupil data to identify patterns of behaviour that may indicate emerging mental health and emotional problems?
• Do students with emerging mental health needs know who the Senior Mental Health Lead is and how to arrange to see them?
• What are you providing in your school that meets the need for common mental health issues?
• Do you have services offered on your school site that offer support for common mental health issues?
• How do you determine the desired outcomes for the pupil? How do you monitor the effectiveness of the intervention?
• How do you determine how long the pupil will require support for?

Parents

• How do you communicate a pupil’s needs to a parent?
• Do you ask the parent about their experience of their child’s difficulties before starting an intervention or making a referral?
• Do you ask parents what works well at home and seek to find ways to reproduce these approaches in school?
• How do you ensure that parents/carers are equipped to support the pupil?
• What advice and signposting would you offer the parent/carer?
• Are parents aware of how to access support for their children?
• Do parents receive feedback about intervention sessions?
• Do you share information with parents/carers about services they can turn to for support?
• Are parents aware of who the Senior Mental Health Lead is?