What support should mentally ill 6th former receive from school?

[BridgesofMadisonfan]

As the total says, trying to avoid my child leaving school due to very poor mental health (suicide attempts).

What support should we expect from school?

[OnceuponaRainbow18]

A referral to CAHMS, is there a school mental Health team? School counsellor? Reduced timetable? I would expect them to have a pastoral support plan, and a risk
assessment plan. If a child at my school is self harming or suicidal out protocol is to call home and ask them to be collected.

[SockFluffInTheBath]

Is school honestly the best place for them right now? There are things that can be done as pp has listed, but they’re teachers not MH professionals.

[BridgesofMadisonfan]

School says they will do a safety plan etc but never actually do it.

[Wandamakesporridge]

For teachers to be aware so student can leave lesson if overwhelmed or needing time out.
Flexibility with deadlines / homework.
School counsellor if they have one.
School can help with referral to CAMHS.
Office staff to be aware of situation so they can phone home if student is in distress.

Not sure what else they can do though, as others have said they are teachers not mental health professionals, and 6th form is different to school as students have a lot of freedom to come and go, and aren’t in statutory education….
Unlike an EHCP, there’s no extra funding for students with MH issues, so most schools wouldn’t be able to find a member of staff to be specifically allocated to that child. It’s difficult.

6th form can be quite a tough environment though especially for A level, a lot of pressure and exams, so if they are struggling with MH maybe they might be better on a vocational course?

[BridgesofMadisonfan]

Thank you for your replies.

[DaisyQuakeJohnson]

In our school, they would create a pastoral support plan. Check in daily with the pupil and communicate regularly with parents/guardians. They would encourage pupil to have referral to MH team and GP. But, as PPs have said, often the students are better being at home than in school. Teachers can't supervise all the time. They can't be responsible for keeping someone safe if they are suicidal.

[JollyWilloughby]

Unfortunately not much. Even the pastoral staff aren’t trained in MH. There are no interventions at school and if there is they’re usually not evidence based. You can expect signposting to statutory MH services and probably still not get very far.

[BridgesofMadisonfan]

I meant more how does she access her education. She has been seen by camhs for some time.

[JollyWilloughby]

In my experience unfortunately very little unless she is in a cahms tier 4 unit that’s attached to a school/6th form.

[SockFluffInTheBath]

Have camhs said the routine or social aspect of school is useful to DC? It’s not unusual for it to be best to deviate from the standard path, especially if they’re suicidal- can they reasonably be expected to perform adequately or deal with the pressure of exams and coursework? What have camhs requested or suggested to/of the school?

[cansu]

You need to give more information. If she isn't in class then does she need home tuition from LA? If she is suicidal the school will not be able to monitor her sufficiently to keep her safe. They are teachers not nurses. They can refer her to their pastoral support for access to ELSA or counsellor. They can provide a safe quiet space for if she is overwhelmed. They can contact you to pick her up or to let you know if she doesn't turn up. What do you want them to do?