DfE - Senior Mental Health Lead Training (2021-2023)
BSW Senior Mental Health Lead Network
These network sessions are held three times a year and will focus on supporting the role of the Senior Mental Health Lead in schools and colleges.
These are optional sessions for any schools in B&NES, Swindon and Wiltshire that have previously attended a Senior Mental Health Lead training course. They are useful opportunities for schools to ask questions, share good practice and hear the latest local and national updates. The focus will be on implementing a whole school and college approach to mental health. These meetings are free and take place from 3:30-5pm online.
Future SMHL networks:
- 10th February 2025 Booking for Wiltshire schools
- 21st May 2025 Booking for Wiltshire schools
Notes from previous meetings
- 17th September 2024 meeting notes.
- 3rd July 2024 meetng notes
- 6th February 2024 meeting notes (Boys in Mind presentation not available)
- 20th September 2023 meeting notes
- 26th April 2023 meeting notes
Local contacts
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B&NES: Claire Davies Claire_Davies@BATHNES.GOV.UK
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Swindon: Caroline McAleese CMcAleese@swindon.gov.uk
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Wiltshire: Nick Bolton nick.bolton@wiltshire.gov.uk
Mental health lead resource hub
National support hub, funded by the DfE, with links to many resources.
Senior Mental Health Lead Training
During the last 3 years, four cohorts attended local courses provided for schools in the Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire (BSW) area.
More about the local delivery of these course can be found here. Local delivery of the SMHL training ended in May 2023.
BSW Together is an integrated care system (ICS) made up of NHS and local authority organisations working together.
The majority of BSW schools have now completed the SMHL training and obtained their grant of £1,200.
This is part of a range of government funded mental health support for schools and colleges that also includes:
- Wellbeing for education recovery
- The Link Programme (now ended)
- Relationships, health and sex education (RHSE) training module
- Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs)
- Psychological first aid training (no longer free)
For schools who have not yet attended this training courses are still available from national providers. In October 2023 the DfE announced that schools, where a previoulsy trained lead has now left, can apply for a second grant.
