Mental Health Support Pathway

Valley Gardens Middle School takes the mental health of all staff and pupils very seriously and we recognise that there will be times when our young people require extra help and support in their lives.

Your child may be going through a difficult time, or you may be concerned about their mental health.  There may have been a bereavement in the family or some other form of trauma that has impacted negatively on your family.

The school can offer a range of support at such times.  We operate different levels of support depending on the need of the child and follow a progressive pathway to make sure they get the support they need.

Pastoral Team Meetings

Our pastoral team consists of our Behaviour Lead, Designated Safeguarding Lead, four Heads of Year, Attendance Lead, SENDCO, Student Wellbeing Officer and PSHE lead.  We meet on a weekly basis before school to discuss referrals and to triage cases to the appropriate level of support.

Referrals can be made in a variety of ways (see below) and are then triaged according to need.

How to get help

FOR SHORT-TERM SUPPORT:

If you require immediate support (such as a mental health crisis) please contact your child’s form teacher to immediately discuss your concern.  This can be done either by phone or email.  If you do not have a direct address the school office will be happy to pass on your details to the relevant person.

FOR LONG-TERM SUPPORT:

The school pastoral team meets weekly in the morning to discuss support for new cases. If you feel your child requires longer term input and support through our Mental Health Support Pathway, either contact your child’s Form Teacher or Head of Year or you can complete the helpful form below.

This information will then be used at the pastoral meeting to determine the best support for your child.  Please note that for some services there is a waiting list.

Referral Form

School

Mental Health First Aid

We have a range of staff trained as Mental Health First Aiders who are on hand to offer support, guidance and techniques to support the wellbeing of our students.

Our Mental Health First Aiders carry out two key roles:

  1. Mental Health First Aiders are available during every break time for students to drop in and share any worries or concerns. Staff will signpost students to resources and techniques as well as being a friendly and familiar face pupils can turn to.
  2. During our pastoral triage system, Mental Health First Aiders are directed to work with students at a dedicated point throughout the school day to support mental health needs in a more focused and targeted way.

Our Mental Health First Aiders are:

  • Alison Goel
    Hayley Tate
    Alison Miller
    Karen Ferguson
    Susan Laffey

Student Wellbeing Officer

The school employs a Student Wellbeing Officer, Mrs Alison Miller; who can provide one-to-one mental health interventions in a six week block. She is also linked to our local authority Mental Health Support Team and is able to make referrals to the team for more challenging cases where extra help may be needed.

Alison is also able to help and support with our Young Carers program.

Early Help Assessment & CAMHS

The school also works with external agencies and we are happy to support and help with a referral to Early Help.  Early Help is a process that is run by the local authority.  Professionals and family members are able to meet to have discussions on how best to support the family and put the steps in place to help support.

Early Help

The school is also happy to help support with referrals to CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service) who can assess your child and put mental health support in place.

https://www.northumbria.nhs.uk/our-services/childrens-services/child-and-adolescent-mental-health-service-camhs/#1bee4bba