- 02/10/2017
- Posted by: Lesley Griffiths MS
- Category: News
Children and teachers in Wrexham with mental or emotional health problems will receive specialist support at school as part of a unique new Welsh Government initiative.
A £1.4m investment will result in a selection of schools recruiting dedicated practitioners to support students showing signs of depression, anxiety or self-harm.
Wrexham has been chosen as one of three pilot areas for the investment. The two-year trail will involve more than 200 schools across Wales.
It is hoped that by providing specialist Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) practitioners on site and making them more accessible, it will ultimately help address children’s worries early and ensure each child receives the right type of care.
Local Assembly Member, Lesley Griffiths, has welcomed the initiative and is pleased Wrexham has been selected as one of the trail areas. She said: “According to the Welsh Government, one in four people in Wales will experience mental health problems at some point in their lives.”
“Unfortunately, in today’s society, more and more young people are feeling pressurised and experiencing difficulties but understandably teachers may feel they are not adequately trained to support pupils with mental health problems.”
“This unique Welsh Government initiative will provide better, professional support for children, enabling treatment to take place at an early stage before issues escalate.”
Initially operating as a pilot programme, the initiative will commence by the end of 2017 and cover two full academic years, concluding in the summer of 2020. The results will be evaluated, and take into account a broad range of measures from the perspective of both teachers and pupils.
