1. Primary Mental Health Workers in Education Sarah Davies & Sarah Jones Promoting positive mental health and emotional well being of children and young people in Wrexham

2. National and local context for PMHWiE role NHS Health Advisory Service (1995) Together We Stand Welsh Assembly Government (2001) Everybody's Business DfES (2004) Every Child Matters Next Steps DH (2004) NSF for Children, Young People and Maternity Services Wrexham CAMHS Strategy and Implementation Plan. July 2005 – Sept 2010 CAMHS Review (2008)

3. National imperatives state Tier 1 should: Identify those who need help early in the development of the problem Offer advice and support to those with mild or minor problems Have sufficient knowledge of specialist services to be able to refer on appropriately as necessary Contribute towards mental health promotion

4. Our Principles Promoting positive mental health and emotional well being Supporting staff in schools to enhance their own skills and confidence Encouraging early identification and intervention Working in partnership with schools

5. Spring term 2008 Mapping existing provision within schools and external agencies Understanding existing structures Establishing relationships Developing a shared understanding of the role Networking/ liaison with other agencies Planning evaluation (audit and outcome measures) Developing resources and information for schools Setting up systems, e.g. defining access routes to PMHWiE service and developing recording systems and paperwork Creating service leaflet

6. Service delivery to Pilot schools (April – Dec 2008) Pilot project – 3 high schools and their primary clusters Work in high schools: Consultation Joint working Direct work with children and young people Universal mental health promotion Targeted group work Training

7. Service delivery to Pilot schools (April – Dec 2008) Area of workTotal Consultations about individual pupils93 Requests from school staff for information on mental health issues 29 Direct work/ assessments20 Referrals to Tier 3 CAMHS/ liaison8 Pupils accessing universal mental health promotion sessions 350 Pupils accessing targeted group work (e.g. managing exam stress) 33 School staff trained in child and adolescent mental health awareness 67

8. Key learning points and recommendations Developed an understanding of what needs to be in place in schools for the service to be effective Most successful when all aspects of the service are taken up by schools Ongoing development of interface and pathways between services Recommendation that number of PMHWiE posts be increased to provide wider coverage across Wrexham schools

9. Feedback from pilot schools… “It has been very useful to talk to the health workers and have time for detailed consultation. Their work regarding individual pupils has been invaluable to them.” (School based professional). “I feel more confident in dealing with this type of issue, both as a result of my increased knowledge and knowing I have the back up of the PMHWiE.” (School based professional). “I feel that it is now possible to be more pro active and to intervene much earlier.” (School based professional).

10. What next? PMHWiE Service evaluation report Next steps…