Targeted Mental Health in Schools (TaMHS)

Nationally, Targeted Mental Health in Schools (TaMHS) is a three-year pathfinder programme aimed at supporting the development of innovative models of therapeutic and holistic mental health support in schools. The target group is children and young people aged five to thirteen who are at risk of, or are, experiencing mental health problems, and their families. The programme began in April 2008 when twenty-five local authorities and their corresponding primary care trusts began pathfinder work. The Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Primary Care Trust (CIOSPCT) is one of these pathfinders.

Healthy Minds

CIOSPCT's Primary Mental Health Team deliver TaMHS, which is called Healthy Minds in Cornwall. The schools comprise Brannel, Budehaven, Camborne and Falmouth secondary schools and all of their cluster primaries. Primary Mental Health Workers work closely in their respective school and community clusters and are an integral part of the overall child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS). An important aspect is that the Primary Mental Health team works closely with Cornwall's Educational Psychology service, the Educational Welfare Officers and Behaviour Support Therapists. The benefits of this multi-agency approach are shared knowledge, skills and expertise and synergy in working towards supporting real outcomes for children and young people. In the schools, the work builds on the firm foundation provided by robust SEAL.

PASS

The schools are using PASS (Pupil Attitude to Self and School) for the early identification of needs and to predict where additional support can be used to prevent future difficulties across education and health. In those TaMHS schools that are also doing Healthy Schools Plus the PASS data is used as baseline data and subsequent use of PASS will measure improvement.

For more information about TaMHS and CAMHS email Karen Twiggs of CIOSPCT's Primary Mental Health Team.