SCHOOLS in Ceredigion have been chosen for a new pilot scheme aimed at providing greater emotional and mental health support for pupils.

The £1.4m Welsh Government scheme is aimed at strengthening the support that specialist agencies provide to schools to address issues such as anxiety, compulsive self-harm and conduct disorders.

It will see support provided in schools from specialist child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) to give better support to teachers to understand childhood distress and emotional mental health problems, that youngsters with issues that can’t be addressed by teachers can access specialist help and provide better links between schools and agencies.

The pilot will begin later this year and run for two academic years until summer 2020 before the scheme is evaluated using feedback from teachers and pupils. The joint pilot scheme was announced by Health Secretary Vaughan Gething and Education Secretary Kirsty Williams.

Mr Gething said: “One in four people in Wales will experience mental health problems at some point in their lives. Getting the right treatment at an early stage, coupled with greater awareness of conditions, can in many cases prevent long term adverse impacts.

“This unique new initiative we’re unveiling will see specialist NHS Wales services extend into the classroom. This will ensure children, teachers and others charged with caring for children in our schools, receive support to promote good emotional and mental health."

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