MENTAL HEALTH STATEMENT

Mental Health issues affect children and young people as well as adults, with more than 850,000 children and young people in the UK having been diagnosed with a mental health condition.

Since September 2014, Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) has also become a category of Special Educational Needs. Children with a SEMH need will receive support in school.

At Westhouses, we endeavour to promote positive mental health. We offer a community of support, and will ensure that:

 we help our children to build emotional resilience

 we help our children to develop self-esteem

 we help our children to develop confidence

 we help our children to develop their social skills

 we help our children to feel valued and a part of Westhouses

We provide high levels of Pastoral Support at including, Positive Play, PSHE Jigsaw and access to many outside agencies including counselling. We encourage children to talk about any issues that are worrying them, and train our staff to be mindful of children's emotional and mental well being. Any concerns are passed to our SENCo or Designated Safeguarding Officer (as appropriate) to ensure children are properly supported in school.

We work in close partnership with outside agencies, including Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS), the Educational Psychology team and Behaviour Support to ensure the best outcomes for our children.