Evidence tells us that early intervention, when issues arise, helps to prevent mental health problems developing in the future. There is a range of available support from Lincolnshire’s mental health teams that is focussed on providing children and young people with early interventions to prevent emotional wellbeing worries escalating into mental health concerns. This should be built into school’s effective whole school systems. Details of the available support via avenues such as Here4You, Healthy Minds and mental health support teams can be found in the toolkit. The support uses evidence based interventions that promote resilience, normalise emotions and teach positive coping mechanisms.
In relation to the EBSA pathway, it is important not to expect too much too soon, but where there has been limited progress it may be appropriate to invite a mental health practitioner to support the review of the support plan.
If Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) or Mental Health Support Team (MHST) are already involved with the child or young person, then contact the relevant clinician requesting attendance at the review meeting. Be prepared to plan the date of the review meeting around CAMHS availability.
Where Healthy Minds are already involved, email requesting attendance at the review.
Where there is no current mental health or emotional wellbeing service involvement, if the school has a MHST, then this practitioner and not Healthy Minds should be contacted and invited to the review. If the school does not have access to MHST, contact Healthy Minds requesting attendance at the review.
Prior to the review meeting ensure the mental health colleague attending the meeting has received all relevant paperwork to enable them to be fully prepared for the review meeting. This may include the paperwork from the various phases within the EBSA pathway along with the EBSA support plans.
You may need to revisit earlier phases in the pathway with involvement from the mental health practitioner to ensure the current information remains relevant to planning going forward.