Emotional Wellbeing and Mental Health – COVID19

Breda O’Neill & Yael LeinmanEast & North Herts CCH and Herts Valleys CCGJune 2020

Strategic Leads for Mental Health in Schools- Hertfordshire

Our roles in the CCG’s is to role out the CAMHS-Schools Link programme

➢ Provide strategic input and support to the development of the Education Mental Health Support Teams model, pathways and mobilisation.

➢ Provide clinical NHS input and recommendations to the local authority Behaviour and Emotional Wellbeing Strategy for schools and SEND Transformation .

➢ Provide voice of school and college as part CAMHS Transformation input including to develop /create/ support with engagement opportunities around the Whole School Approach (Hertfordshire kitemark and accreditation).

Whole School and College Approach

➢ All Hertfordshire schools are invited to nominate a Mental Health Lead and a Deputy Lead. Currently Hert schools have 712 MHL/DMHL.

➢ Mental Health Leads and Deputy Leads are asked to attend MHL Level 2 training and a refresher every 2 years.

➢ Virtual School Attachment Aware and Trauma informed Toolkit: https://www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/microsites/virtual-school/policies-and-guidance.aspx?searchInput=toolkit&page=1&resultsPerPage=10&view=list&categoryfilters=0/1/1370/1371/1372/1375

• What will happen about exams, grades and university.

• Lockdown: loneliness, boredom, confinement, loss of routine, conflict in the family.

• Existing mental health problems getting worse and the impact on existing challenges .

• Weight, healthy eating and exercise during lockdown.

• Access to accurate information about coronavirus from trusted websites, their school, youth worker, family and trusted social media.

• Online and telephone based support and activities and strategies to look after their wellbeing.

Hertfordshire Young people concerns

https://emergingminds.org.uk/co-space-study-1st-update/

https://www.phoenixgrouphq.com/back-to-school: Thinking about School Survey 2020 https://b8ccd561-4063-4e7a-91f3-e70ded17121c.filesusr.com/ugd/bbe3de_9813b1e12d5e41e38ba1a82cabf6f3f9.pdf

Worries about returning to school?- COVID-19 related risk &

infection - School Work & Pressures - Exam demands - Transitions (new schools,- Year groups & routines)

What makes it difficult going back to school?- Social distancing (with friends)- Peer relationships (e.g. bullying)

What will help you go back to school?- Slow transition - Reduced infection risk- Friends - Teachers

Predicted MH Impact: CYP MH Factors –

Disrupted social development, social

support, routine, education Isolation, Loneliness,

Exclusion (inc.digital) & <

Structured Activity

> Worry / Anxiety, Stress, Low Mood

(?PTSD?)

Increased vulnerabilities &

increased exposure e.g. ACEs, Socio-Ec

Reduced access to MH & pastoral

support. > escalation of MH diffs

Direct impact of COVID-19

Unexpected Bereavement / Complex Grief

Vicarious Anxiety. [Parent/Carers; School/College;

Media (inc. Social Media)

Family discord / stress

Hopelessness / Fear of Future Consequences

*NHS England and NHS Improvement – June 2020

https://www.bps.org.uk/sites/www.bps.org.uk/files/Member%20Networks/Divisions/DECP/Teacher%20resilience%20during%20coronavirus%20school%20closures.pdf

https://www.mentallyhealthyschools.org.uk/media/2047/coronavirus-toolkit-6-resilience.pdf

Promote Teacher, School & CYP MH & Resilience through

Whole School Approach

Foster a sense of belonging & connectedness

Promote help-seeking & support

Support development &

learning> Confidence

> System Integration

> Awareness

> Staff & CYP MH

What can WE

do?

Safeguarding & Protecting the wellbeing of Children &

Young People

Normalising & Psycho-

Education. Screening &

Referral

Mentally Healthy -

Whole Schools Approach.

> Resilience

MH Support & Advice to School /

College staff

Play; Peer & Valued Activities

Parent / Carer

Support

Mindful of COVID-19

related restrictions on

CYP MH

Reintegration, Inclusivity & Transition to

routine

Wider Community response to CYP MH & >

Social Connectivity

Social Connecti

vity

Physical Distancing & Contact

Social Distancing

ASK CHILDREN & YOUNG

PEOPLE WHAT THEY WOULD FIND HELPFUL

*NHS England and NHS Improvement – June 2020

TOP TIPS

Acknowledge & talk about Anxiety / MH

Be Aware of COVID related restrictions &

our own actions

Plan for the

WHOLE school

Look after the

school staffCYP co-

leading the

response

Physical Distancing –NOT Social / Emotional

CYP to play & socialise whilst re-

introducing routine

Be curious with CYP in how they

are feeling

>Access across System

*NHS England and NHS Improvement – June 2020

Local guidance

• Transition back to school document is designed for school leaders to support the emotional wellbeing of staff and students in returning to school following Covid-19 lockdown arrangements.

• It has been put together by members of the Educational Psychology Service but also incorporates information from the Communication and Autism Team and the Strategic Leads for Mental Health in Schools. It was created by reviewing the current guidance, psychology and research around supporting students during times of transition in the context of traumatic events:

• https://www.healthyyoungmindsinherts.org.uk/sites/default/files/content/Returning%20to%20School%20-%20Wellbeing%20Document.pdf

The journey to providing staff wellbeing support

Local services have been focused on supporting children and young people around Covid-19 and plentiful amount of information had gone out to schools to enable this support.

Through our work with school-based professionals we noticed the gap in support that is available for school staff during the pandemic.

This resulted in piloting a School Staff Wellbeing group session which is fully facilitated but is open for all school professionals to bring in any issues they wish to discuss in relation to how the current climate is affecting them.

Response was overwhelming as sessions were fully booked immediately.

Session are for up to 8 staff members, 90 minutes per session. Currently they are held twice weekly.

Areas of needOver the time of the sessions we have conducted we found the following themes:

1. Individual factors:▪ Sense of guilt (for those working from home for a variety of reasons).▪ Feeling unmotivated, overwhelmed, sleepless nights▪ Difficulties dealing with uncertainty and change▪ Lack of effective communication with all staff – especially those not in the school – disconnection/isolation ▪ Having to be appear to be all functioning and supportive of everyone while managing own emotions and struggles.▪ Are we doing enough? Can we do anything more?▪ Staff would have different experiences of Covid-19 and there will be a possible split within the staff team as a result.▪ Staff safeguarding

2. Difficulties dealing with uncertainty and change ▪ What is the ‘new norm’?/ Worrying about going back.▪ Amount of information from different agencies is overwhelming

3. Parental /Family /colleague/ team issues including anxiety ▪ Managing parents’ reactions to integrating back to school, more so for SEND pupils▪ Bereavement (either for families/ CYP or staff themselves/ colleagues)▪ Supporting colleagues who are struggling/ feeling anxious▪ Having to manage own children being home-schooled while doing work for the school▪ Keeping parents happy!

4. Challenges of mobile working▪ Lack of separation between home and school due to having to work from home blurring the boundaries pushing work to infringe

on home time.▪ Sense of isolation – increased demand from some schools around workload, flexibility has made the difference

5. Whole school approach ▪ Want to be listened to by SLT, Academic versus wellbeing and family wellbeing needs ▪ High expectations around workload/output – some Head Teachers responding flexibly and allowing for a creative approach

Shared good practice

The following are some of the ideas shared in the group staff wellbeing sessions as the group starts to support each other:

- Utilising ‘quiet time’ to train staff around emotional wellbeing

- Weekly newsletter to ensure communication gets to all staff

- Coming up with creative activities

- Sending a staff wellbeing survey to see what staff want/ need to alleviate anxiety and provide EWB support

- Questions and Answers from staff to SLT to provide assurance

- Music teacher and PE teacher created uplifting videos for staff and pupils

- Follow MH policy of the school or look at creating one if the school doesn’t have one.

- Connect 4 challenge online for staff

- Pub Zoom, Bingo night, murder mystery, Zoom quizzes

- Staff book club

- Theatre club for staff with a live performance

- Different ways of connecting with all staff ensuring this includes connecting not in relation to work – fun stuff.

- Mindfulness activities on Microsoft Teams

- 5 Ways to Wellbeing ideas shared with staff via email with activities ideas

- Utilising online learning including around bereavement support for CYP

- Providing (and receiving) reassurance

Outcomes of session

By the end of the session, staff told us they felt:

Some things can be planned for while some things cannot be controlled

Normalise feelings and

emotions

The session provided them protected time for reflection

connected

‘It’s good to talk to others

who are in the same

boat’

Reminded of what they

already know that can help

them

‘I’m not the only one’

Realise they are

doing a lot already and things will keep on changing

• Schools need time to build a

new ‘normality’

• All families will have had a

different experience of

lockdown.

• This is not a time to experiment

with new ideas

Therapeutic work now would not be

beneficial – we need to wait for the calm after the storm

Key Resources

➢ Healthy Young Minds in Herts: www.healthyyoungmindsinherts.org

➢ Just Talk (including Covid-19 related resources): https://www.justtalkherts.org/just-talk-herts.aspx

➢ Hertfordshire Virtual Schools link: https://www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/microsites/virtual-school/hertfordshire-virtual-school.aspx

➢ SEND 0-25 years Hertfordshire’s Local Offer: https://www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/microsites/local-offer/the-hertfordshire-local-offer.aspx

➢ Families First Portal: https://www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/microsites/families-first/families-first.aspx

➢ FF News: https://www.hertfordshirefamiliesfirst.org.uk/covid19-edition-3/front-page/welcome-message

Strategic Leads for Mental Health in School:

East and North Herts CCG:

Breda O'Neill

Breda.O'Neill@nhs.net

Mobile: 07827 937 573

Herts Valleys CCG:

Yael Leinman

y.leinman@nhs.net

Mobile: 07717 427 590