Bolton Mental Health Support Team
Mental health support teams were introduced as part of a nationally programmed expansion in Children and Young People’s mental health services set out in the Green Paper: Transforming Children and Young People’s Mental Health Provision (2017).[1] The central purpose of mental health support teams, as set out in national policy, is to provide specific extra capacity for early intervention and ongoing help, with three specified functions:
- Function 1: providing direct support to children and young people with mild to moderate mental health issues;
- Function 2: supporting educational settings (specifically the senior mental health lead in that setting – where established) to introduce or develop their whole school or college approach to mental health and wellbeing;
- Function 3: giving advice to staff in educational settings and liaising with external specialist services to help children and young people to get the right support and stay in education.
The Bolton CAMHS mental health support team works alongside select schools and colleges in Bolton to provide 3 core functions:
- To deliver evidence-based interventions for mild-to-moderate mental health issues
- Support the senior mental health lead (where established) in each school or college to introduce or develop their whole school or college approach
- Give timely advice to school and college staff and liaise with external specialist services to help children and young people to get the right support and stay in education.
How does the mental health support team work?
The mental health support team works alongside existing services and should supplement these as opposed to replacing them.
Most of our referrals are received via Schools or via CAMHS so if you want to refer please speak with your school.
The referral will be reviewed by the mental health support team and one of the practitioners from the team will be in contact with you.
Each school and college within the mental health support team offer has a designated practitioner who will work closely with the school or college’s mental health lead to provide the 3 core functions. Our team of mental health support team practitioners is made up of:
- Education mental health practitioners
- Trainee education mental health practitioners
- Children and young people wellbeing practitioners
- Mental health and wellbeing practitioners
- Mental health practitioners (senior education mental health practitioners/ children and young people wellbeing practitioners in a supervising role)
- CBT therapists (cognitive behaviour therapy)
- Operational manager
- Engagement and participation worker
Mental Health Support Team practitioners will meet with their schools and colleges to discuss referrals and provide support with developing a Whole School Approach. They will also provide the majority of evidence-based interventions to the students in their schools and colleges, unless it has been decided that another member of the team would be more appropriate (e.g., students that require CBT, or trainees requiring specific presentations in order to pass their course).
What does the mental health support team not cover?
- The mental health support team is not an emergency service. If you have an immediate concern for the safety or well-being of a child at your school or college, please follow appropriate crisis pathways.
- The service does not provide evidence-based interventions for children who are at a very high risk or those who present with some complex mental health disorders. We are happy to discuss these cases with you and provide specialist signposting and advice.
We have more information on our services on our Padelets which are regularly updated:
Bolton Mental Health Support Team College Padlet:
Bolton Mental Health Support Team Schools Padlet:
