Liverpool school launches dedicated mental health support for its community
by Educate Magazine July 18, 2023 · All News / Secondary School News
The Academy of St Francis of Assisi (ASFA) has formed its own mental health impact team in a bid to offer continuous support for the whole school community.
Recognising the needs of students following the pandemic, Mrs Abigail Huthwaite, head of performing arts and senior mental health lead at the academy, developed the initiative together with other members of the senior leadership team.
The mental health impact team (MHIT) is made up of qualified practitioners, including mental health first aiders, an emotional literacy support assistant, emotion coach Sarah Brooks and school counsellor Ray Loftus.
The team has a range of experience in emotional wellbeing and mental health for mild to moderate needs in children and young people. They work directly within the school offering a range of interventions and work with families and their child to determine the best course of action if they need support.
But it is not just the staff who are involved, students in Year 9 and Year 11 have volunteered to become mental health ambassadors and mental health mentors. The students have received vital training to deliver assemblies and podcasts, and 1:1 peer support.
Furthermore, the ambassadors have launched a podcast called ‘The Assisi Way’ which discusses a variety of topics related to mental health and wellbeing, as well as interviews with fellow students and industry professionals. Regular updates from the MHIT, ambassadors and mentors are also detailed in a half termly newsletter to parents and guardians.
As part of the initiative, the academy recently held a drop-down day around the theme of respect. ‘St Francis Respects’ day provided students with a deeper learning experience and enabled them to understand more about the importance of respect in different situations and settings. Further drop-down days are planned around kindness and culture.
Speaking about the MHIT, Mrs Huthwaite said: “As a trained mental health first aider I am equipped to spot signs of poor mental health and able to signpost people to receive the best support.”
“Here at ASFA, we identified that post-pandemic our students may need some additional help as they navigate life back to ‘normality’. Together with other qualified practitioners we are able to offer bespoke support to our students who are all from different walks of life.”
Mrs Huthwaite added: “The response so far has been incredible and the interest from students to become ambassadors or mentors has been phenomenal. I’m so proud of the work that is taking place and what we have in the pipeline is really exciting.”
