EVALUATION OF MENTAL HEALTH NAMED LEAD AND JOINT TRAINING PILOTS

An evaluation of single point of contact pilots in Schools and CAMHS. Pilots delivered in 22 areas, covering approximately 250 schools, include identification of named leads and participation on joint working workshops

Evaluation to include

• Surveys of CAMHS and school leads
• Survey of a sub sample of all schools
• Qualitative case studies with 10 schools
• Process evaluation of delivery of the pilots

Evaluation to assess the extent to which identifying named leads and completing the joint training is associated with:

• A change in awareness and knowledge of mental health issues among school leads and CAMHS leads;
• A change in processes and systems in relation to mental health, including joint working;
• Improvement in the timeliness and appropriateness of referrals from schools to CAMHS;
• Activity within schools, driven by the named lead, to disseminate knowledge and culture around mental health;
• A change in the knowledge and confidence of wider school staff around supporting children with mental health issues in the classroom;
• A change in perceptions of stigma and understanding and confidence in school processes around mental health among pupils.
• Sustainability of lead roles after the pilot ends in March 2016
• Impact of changes in practices on specialist services; i.e. are changes in practice or increased knowledge increasing the number or referrals and putting pressure on services.
• Differences associated with different delivery models between pilot areas

Evaluation also to provide process evaluation of training delivery to

• Consider practicalities of delivering the training, barriers and facilitators to wider roll out. This should include consideration of the following, alongside any other relevant delivery factors such as:

o Capacity of the CAMHS lead

o Numbers attending training sessions

o Record what was delivered and participants’ views on the quality of training.