...

Britain plans to tackle mental health issues among students

Europe Materials 18 June 2019 01:45 (UTC +04:00)
Every new teacher in Britain will be trained in how to spot signs of mental health issues among school students
Britain plans to tackle mental health issues among students

Every new teacher in Britain will be trained in how to spot signs of mental health issues among school students, according to a prevention plan unveiled by British Prime Minister Theresa May, Trend reports citing Xinhua.

May pledged better access to education, training and support across communities as part of a major overhaul of the society's approach to mental illness.

"The wide-ranging package of measures will make sure people have the confidence and skills they need to identify mental health issues before they become critical, particularly in young people," said a governmental statement.

Schools, social workers, local authorities and healthcare services will receive extra support to make sure people know how to promote good mental health, when all 1.2 million National Health Service staff will also be encouraged to take suicide prevention training, according to the plan.

There will also be access to world-class teaching and training materials for all teachers to use in classrooms to meet the new requirements for mental health education for all primary and secondary school students.

May's strategy will see extra funding to support local councils to strengthen local suicide prevention plans.

As part of the prevention agenda, May also announced 1 million pounds (1.26 million U.S. dollars) in funding for the Office for Students to find innovative new ways to support mental health at universities and colleges.

Paul Farmer, chief executive officer of the mental health charity MIND said: "It's positive to see priority given to young people's mental health. Our recent work in schools has shown us the true scale of the need and, as most mental health problems start in childhood, decent support as early as possible is key."

Tags:
Latest

Latest