Trailblazing Mental Health Support Teams are working with 79 primary, secondary and specialist schools across Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin to promote the early detection and prevention of mental health problems among pupils.

There are currently four teams working alongside participating schools in the county – covering North Telford, South Telford, North East Shropshire, and North West Shropshire – with a South Shropshire team due to launch soon. They form part of the BeeU service, provided by Midlands Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust.

The team work with Mental Health Leads in schools to support them in developing the whole school approach to mental health and wellbeing. The teams also offer evidence-based support to children and young people experiencing low level mental health difficulties, such as low mood and anxiety, with specially trained Education Mental Health Practitioners working closely with each school.

This enables schools to be given timely advice, facilitating swifter access to specialist services and building on support already in place from professionals, such as school counsellors, nurses, educational psychologists and the voluntary sector.

Danielle Haslam, Lead for the Mental Health Support Teams said: “The teams are making a real difference in the schools they are working with; for example in Shrewsbury and Oswestry the team there is trialling drop-in sessions with targeted early help services to support parents and children. The feedback we’ve been seeing has been really positive and I’m proud of the strong partnerships they have developed with schools.

“Mental health is a serious issue affecting children and young people, who can feel stressed, lonely and frightened and often struggle to cope with the pressure they are feeling. By working directly with schools and supporting pupils at a much earlier stage, this will help to reduce the number of referrals into specialised mental health services and lead to shorter waiting times for young people accessing mental health services.”