What is the Minister doing to ensure that children and young adults facing mental health challenges are properly cared for in schools?
On 21 March 2021 the Welsh Government published the framework on embedding a whole school approach to emotional and mental wellbeing. The framework is statutory guidance for all maintained schools and local authorities. It is intended to support schools in reviewing their own well-being landscape, to develop plans to address weaknesses and build on their strengths.
As statutory guidance I expect all schools to have regard to its requirements. To support schools in this work the Deputy Minister for Mental Health and Wellbeing and I have jointly agreed funding of £12.2m in the current year for wellbeing activity in schools. This is part of a wider package of over £43m we will invest in this area over the course of the three-year budget period.
Funding supports a range of activity including:
- extending and improving access to school counselling;
- providing universal and targeted wellbeing interventions in schools;
- training teachers and other staff on children’s and their own wellbeing; and
- ensuring all-Wales coverage of the CAMHS school in-reach service, which sees dedicated mental health practitioners in schools providing consultation, liaison, advice and training.
The Deputy Minister and I continue to keep this work under review through regular meetings of the multiagency stakeholder group established to advise us in this area.