Teachers need more training on children with mental health problems, says study

TEACHERS need more training in how to deal with mental health issues in the classroom, a charity has said.

The Scottish Association for Mental Health has urged the Scottish Government to create a national training programme for teachers by the end of 2018.

The call follows a online survey of 3,000 school staff carried out by the charity which found that 66 per cent of teachers who responded did not feel they had enough training in mental health to allow them to carry out their role properly.

Just one in 100 said they could recall doing detailed work on mental health when they were student teachers.

Only around a third (34 per cent) of all school staff said their school had an effective way of responding to pupils experiencing mental health problems.

A report outlining the findings said: “Teachers and non-teaching staff spoke of the need for young people to receive support; decried their lack of ability or time to provide information or support; and criticised the issue’s low priority within the curriculum.

“There were significant concerns raised about the lack of support available to young people following a referral to the children’s mental health service, while they waited for an assessment; and frustration and anger when a referral was rejected, with no support offered.”

The charity’s Going To Be campaign is drawing attention to the three children in every classroom who experience a mental health problem, but who often struggle to get help.