Balancing Approaches to Mental Health Promotion in Canterbury Schools. A Collaborative Presentation Ciarán Fox Mental Health Promoter - Mentally Healthy School Staffrooms. Mental Health Foundation Lil Convery Mental Health Promoter - Education settings. Community and Public Health

Fear not those who argue but those who dodge. MARIE VON EBNER-ESCHENBACH Truth springs from argument amongst friends. DAVID HUME

Why Promote Mental Health in Schools? … young people spend close to half their waking hours in school and inevitably the quality of experiences with teachers and peers in that setting will affect emotional wellbeing. … young people spend close to half their waking hours in school and inevitably the quality of experiences with teachers and peers in that setting will affect emotional wellbeing. Patton, 2000.

Settings-based Mental Health Promotion Comprehensive coverage of issues Comprehensive coverage of issues Less overlaps Less overlaps Consistent messages Consistent messages Less demands on schools Less demands on schools

Best Practice Works across the whole school Works across the whole school Students-staff partnerships drive action Students-staff partnerships drive action Multiple coordinated intervention strategies Multiple coordinated intervention strategies Wellness/strengths based Wellness/strengths based Addresses school ethos and climate Addresses school ethos and climate Long term and sustainable Long term and sustainable Evaluation and regular review Evaluation and regular review

Health Promoting Schools Priority schools Priority schools Financial grant over 3 years Financial grant over 3 years Discussions and needs assessment Discussions and needs assessment Action planning Action planning Implementation and evaluation Implementation and evaluation

HPS Shared values and vision Shared values and vision Policy Policy Curriculum Curriculum Social environment Social environment Physical environment Physical environment

HPS Framework

Staff wellbeing: Mentally Healthy School Staffrooms (MHSS) Supporting schools to further enhance mentally healthy environments Supporting schools to further enhance mentally healthy environments Information, guidance and web-based resources Information, guidance and web-based resources Workshop-based facilitation of solutions for a mentally healthy workplace Workshop-based facilitation of solutions for a mentally healthy workplace

MHSS Topics include: what is mental wellbeing? what is mental wellbeing? building mentally healthy environments building mentally healthy environments stress management/looking at solutions stress management/looking at solutions communication and relating well communication and relating well

MHSS Interventions: telephone consultations telephone consultations information information resources resources workshops address sustainable change with staff and management workshops address sustainable change with staff and management

Whole school mental health promotion?

Advantages of Collaboration Benefits each organisation AND schools Benefits each organisation AND schools Cover gaps in service delivery Cover gaps in service delivery Consistent integrated messages Consistent integrated messages Single point of entry for schools Single point of entry for schools Sharing information, experience, resources and networks Sharing information, experience, resources and networks

HPS and MHSS Collaborative Values Trust and transparency Trust and transparency Shared goals and a shared vision Shared goals and a shared vision Information sharing Information sharing Equal partnership Equal partnership Clear roles and responsibilities Clear roles and responsibilities