Designated Senior Lead for Mental Health Training

The Department for Education is exploring the different training content and delivery mechanisms needed to produce a high quality, evidence-based training package that will be made available to the Designated Senior Leads for mental health in schools and colleges.

The Government's recent Green Paper, Transforming Children and Young People's Mental Health Provision focuses on earlier intervention and prevention, with the aim of ensuring children and young people showing early signs of distress are always able to access the right help, in the right setting, when they need it. The Green Paper recognises the vital role that schools and colleges play in identifying mental health needs at an early stage, referring young people to specialist support, and working jointly with others to support young people experiencing problems. The Green Paper also recognises the potential benefits to schools of having a Designated Senior Lead for mental health, including through the promotion of whole-school approaches to mental health and wellbeing, and the forging of more effective links with existing mental health services.

The planned Designated Senior Lead for mental health training supports the delivery of the Green Paper and builds on the role many schools and colleges already play, by incentivising every school and college to identify and train a Designated Senior Lead for mental health. The Designated Senior Lead's role would be to formulate and oversee their institution's approach to mental health and wellbeing. To be effective in this role the individual will require knowledge of local mental health and wellbeing-focussed services, an understanding of how pupils can experience poor mental health, and how to identify and support those who are at risk through a range of approaches and policies across the school.

Organisations that are interested in this opportunity are invited to provide written feedback on the attached briefing document by 07 December 2018. This is an opportunity for potential suppliers to learn about the proposed scope of the training and delivery model options. Potential suppliers' feedback will further inform our requirements prior to holding a face to face event early next year.

Potential suppliers with a strong understanding of positive approaches to children and young people's mental health, particularly in the context of the whole school, are encouraged to attend. Similarly, organisations with an understanding of how schools/colleges can strategically lead and improve provisions around mental health, and those with experience of facilitating joint working between health and education services, may be interested in providing written feedback. The DfE is not committing to undertake any formal commissioning activity resulting from this notice although we may use the information gathered via this process to support any future commercial activity.

Additional information: Timescales

Potential suppliers expressing an interest in this work would need to be able to mobilise their provision with the intention of delivering training from January 2020.

How to express an interest in this opportunity

If you would like to provide written feedback please email your responses to the questions in the attached briefing document to DSL.MH@education.gov.uk by Friday 07 December. Please indicate in the subject box 'Designated Senior Lead for mental health Market Feedback'.

Please note that this PIN is not a call to competition and the DfE is not bound to enter into any procurement activity because of it.