Create pastoral support ‘business’

[Pinkycloud]

I need some help bringing this vision to life! I work in a secondary school (private) and am in a role that has pastoral elements (minimal) but is largely legal/admin/facilitating. However, my absolute passion is teen and young adult mental health. I’ve recently qualified as a mental health first aider but I want to do more. My vision is to become self-employed (which I’ve done before, in a different role) and do something along the lines of coach teens in resilience, give talks at schools, offer 1:1 sessions, just basically help these young people BEFORE they get to the stage of needing counselling or even making dangerous/wrong decisions. Can anyone offer advice or clarity on bringing this dream to life?

Your issue will be who you're expecting to pay. Schools have no money and are facing enormous cuts.

You'll get more traction with private schools as they have more cash to splash. Have you thought about contacting any guardian agencies to see if there is interest there?

This. If schools had the money, they'd already be employing people to do this work. There are no shortage of counsellors or support workers. They have no money to pay for it.

This.

This sounds a lot like the Eikon system already in place in some schools. We also have the local NHS mental health team in. Maybe you need to focus on private or indie schools only who are unlikely to have these systems.

You'd need to be quite a bit more qualified than just having done a mental health first aid course. I suggest volunteering with an organisation already set up for this purpose or a similar purpose.

I love this idea!

I agree that the question is: who are you expecting to pay, particularly when you have no track record? Institutions are a nonstarter; the NHS have their own people, state schools have no money. It'll be private schools or wealthy parents out of pocket, and they'll expect a) extensive qualifications b) a proven track record of doing what you say you'll do.

I don’t know what the private school situation is, but state schools have few resources for this sort of buying-in of private services now. The few pennies they do have they might spend on hours for in-school counsellors.

The schools I have worked in (state secondary in London) make use of whatever free support there is - local authority psychological wellbeing practitioners, for example - or some contract in organisations like Place2Be.

A lot of schools rely heavily now on training up their own staff in ‘mental health first aid’ to tick that box. In reality, you’re right - it’s just an add-on to someone else’s already busy job and not adequate MH support for the students. But it’s hard-going for the education sector at the moment.

One school I worked at did buy in a training programme for staff from an organisation that does the sort of thing you’re pitching. There are loads of small outfits out there, but I honestly don’t know how they’re making any money in this climate, and I also question whether public money should be given to private businesses for this type of service. A better funded CAMHS would be preferable.

Bluntly you will need more experience and qualifications to get people to pay you for this. Plus you are kind of describing youth workers. You could become a youth worker or pastoral support. Schools already pay people to do these roles when they can. You could just get a pastoral support role in a school.

Train to be an EMHP/EWP/CWP in an MHST ?

The competition is fierce though. There's usually over a 100 applicants for the training positions which comes with 2 days at uni each week learning the CBT needed to be able to work with young people

As it's a training position you also get paid at Band 4 NHS, which is about £25k I think

Surely that’s what PHSE lessons are for? And the pastoral support team? Anyone above that in terms of needs will need a qualified MH professional. I’m not quite sure what it is you want to provide in terms of ‘resilience’? A lot of MH problems come from being ND/ family problems/ bullying and that’s not something that can be solved by trying to teach ‘resilience’

I think it's a nice idea but incredibly unrealistic.

Who do you think is going to pay for this stuff? Schools can't even afford textbooks and glue at the moment.

You need a lot of experience and more qualifications for what you want to do. If you search in your area you will see the kind of people that are already in the sector. These will be people with many years experience, ex teachers, counsellors, phds etc.

It hasn't stopped me. But I have pivoted into a more niche area. I taught children abroad. Many many years in scouting. Many years Working as a youth worker and last year as an emotional wellbeing practitioner. I've ended up providing alternative education to young people who have come out of school as well as emotional wellbeing practitioner as a contractor/freelancer. I'm on a lot more money as my skill set is very niche as it needs people who are adaptable through many roles to get young people to engage.

I've done it. I work in a pastoral role in a primary school. I offer private sessions of emotional support after school. Look at Drawing & Talking. They do a private practitioner programme.

We have a counsellor.
And pshe/ psd cover resilience and all the psychological stuff.

Also look at ELSA training.

You need to research

what’s already out there - both big/state providers and small businesses.

How much schools spend on this

How the small businesses persuade the schools to spend it on them (ie what is their USP) rather than a big standard that provider

Then you have to ask yourself is there a gap in the market - and equally crucially does anyone have money to spend on it

if you think they do, you could also look at the US and Europe to see what they might provide that the UK doesn’t to help build a USP

Things are very very tight right now, so as a first step you’re probably aiming for qualifications that would allow you to fit into the sector as is - so you can actually get a job, as well as build your own business

Realistically at your level of qualification you are unlikely to be an attractive provider.

I'd recommend looking at coaching parents with DC going through SEN/mental health issues. It can often be a blindside and as a parent you need to rapidly get up to speed on your child's issues, the complexities of the support systems (or lack of) and reconcile yourself with it all while not falling into a hole yourself (and most likely juggling work, a marriage and other DC).

We would have happily paid for 'pastoral support' for us to help get through that initial phase and know how best to support DC. Would you consider something like that?

do something along the lines of coach teens in resilience

What does this actually look like?

What qualifications do you have? Just mental health first aid?

Do you have any background training in trauma, at the very least?

just basically help these young people BEFORE they get to the stage of needing counselling or even making dangerous/wrong decisions

This is so vague and naive it makes me think you are utterly clueless, sorry.

I give you 5 minutes before you're totally out of your depth, and causing more damage to some pretty vulnerable teens.

Oh wow, are you ok? Yes, I have training in trauma, I am qualified to degree level, I have implemented training systems for the one of the top boarding schools in the country.

Did you mean to be so rude?

As PP said that sounds exactly like the role and remit of Mental Health Support Teams and the job of CWPs / EMHPs / EWPs? Do they have those in your area?

Or you could make online videos. Monetise them as your audiences grow. Merchandise charts, fridge magnets, wallet cards, books.

I have no patience with underqualified people biting off more than they can chew when it comes to young people's mental health.

It creates such a mess.

You didn't mention any trauma focused training (to what level?) or a relevant degree (such as youth work or social work or whatever) in your OP. It struck me as very naive.

I mean, what does "coaching teens in resilience" look like? Tbh that is a red flag to me.

But all good if you have sufficient training.