Schools' Link Programme Information - Canterbury, Herne Bay and Whitstable

What is the Link Programme?

The Link Programme is a major DfE national initiative being rolled out over four years starting from September 2019 to all schools and colleges in England. The programme aims to bring together local education and mental health professionals from across the CCG, so that more children and young people get the help and support they need, when they need it.

We believe this exciting programme will help us support the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people across the CCG and will act to facilitate closer collaboration between schools and colleges and those providing mental health support. Mental health leads from participating schools and colleges will attend two day-long workshops alongside mental health professionals to facilitate joint working and share best practice.

The full evaluation report and short animation about the Link Programme is available on the Anna Freud website

Why should your school or college be involved?

School and college staff are rightly not expected to be mental health experts. However, we also know that we get the best results for children’s mental health when professionals pool their knowledge and understanding in a true partnership. The Link Programme is designed to achieve exactly that. Schools, colleges and mental health professionals will see improvements in their practice, and children and young people will therefore be better supported to be mentally healthy and build resilience, and services will become more accessible.

Watch a short video and view further information

How will the programme work?

Two workshops will be facilitated by Anna Freud Centre staff 6 to 8 weeks apart. These workshops will be attended by schools and colleges, and professionals from a range of services which advise and support children and young peoples’ mental and emotional health and wellbeing.

We have three cohorts available and for consistency and to obtain the best outcomes possible it is crucial that the same representative attends both dates.

Please see below for available Cohorts, which will all take place in Canterbury:

What we need to secure your free place:

• Please nominate a lead person who has an overview of mental health and emotional wellbeing issues within your setting, to attend both workshops. This should be a member of the leadership team but could also be someone in a mental health or wellbeing role, special educational needs coordinators (SENCOs) or a pastoral lead. In your setting this should be a person who manages or can influence the service provided to children, young people and their families.
• To secure their place, please reply before Friday 13 December 2019 to cypmentalhealth.ekccg@nhs.net to provide their contact details and which cohort they are able to attend. Please note, we are limited to 20 Schools and Colleges per cohort and will assign places on each cohort on a first come, first served basis.

If you have any questions or queries, please don’t hesitate to contact us on cypmentalhealth.ekccg@nhs.net.

East Kent Children’s Commissioning Support Team