Theresa May is to announce that all teachers in England and Wales will be trained to spot the early signs of mental health issues in children as part of a package of measures aimed at prioritising prevention.
As teachers we have a list of things we are to 'spot' and this is yet one more ( actually this has been on list for years already). The responsibility is enormous, funding is almost nil to follow up on our suspicions. The only thing we are qualified and paid to do is to teach.
Does this include wrong political views?
Wouldn’t it be more sensible to use the money to sustain proven, independent & cost-effective services like ours that focus on early, preventative help rather than place more burden and more ‘hats’ on already over-stretched teachers? Just a thought!
If you have developed a society which is producing lots of children with mental health issues, maybe you need to address what’s going on in that society first, which, is making this happen. Then mental health will become less of an issue.
tatclouthier Ññññññññññññ
Easy, just ask who reads the Guardian.
Add one more thing to a teacher’s responsibilities bc school systems wont pay for the staff they need!😡
Someone tell Trump as he’d rather arm teachers
And then what?
tatclouthier It's about time ⏰!
I'd like a pay rise please for that extra professional role I won't get paid for.
So rather than invest in specialist mental healthcare provision we are asking an already disillusioned work force to do more than they already do. Typical Tory money saving spin. So who takes responsibility when cases are missed leading to harm?
best thing for mental health in schools is less target/performance-driven, budget-stripped, manic cultures - if the organisational culture is stressy everyone's mental health suffers - expecting teachers to become MH experts misses the point and is in fact one more burden!
Anything else they need to do ? Then what , you have to pay for services to address this CAMHS is a disaster the waiting list to see a young person is ridiculous !
In their colleagues?
In all honesty- we can spot them. It gets reported. The school reports it. Then bugger all happens for months because so much of the funding from CAHMS has been removed and there's not a lot else to help support them. Those that are there to help are simpl stretched too thin.
No. What else is going to be dumped on a teacher. Morals, food, clothes, entertainment, health care, when does it end. schools shouldn't be a substitute for everyone else that should be taking a part in a kid's life.
She's got some front when it's her party that has caused vast swathes of mental illness throughout the UK after almost 10 years of grinding poverty, benefit cuts, & misery instilled into the poorest people who reside in one of the richest countries in the world through austerity
Everyone is now expected to be a mental health triage expert it seems but even GPs are very variable in these skills and there are few specialist resources even if you got it right - pupils wouldn't always benefit from being 'diagnosed' by teachers I would guess!
What else are teachers going to have to spot?
Good idea if you let the kids diagnose the teachers right back.
joetracini all schools should have a mental health trained professional on site - address issues early, with knowledge and understanding.
Then what happens when spotted ?! ... the child is entered into a large black hole of despair with no consistent support or direction as resources have been slashed ....
consider the children in cages of this madman who stole the american presidency with Putin's help,
Stupid suggestion and not the job of education- UK is a huge illiteracy epidemic. Focus on teaching youth how to read.
Theirs or those of their students?
Good start. Is there thengoing to be funding so that there is actually somewhere to refer them to so that they can get help.