Well? Issue 10: Spring/Summer 2007

36 Well? Research
‘INSIDERS ON THE OUTSIDE:
MENTAL HEALTH LINK
WORKERS IN SCHOOLS’
Like many other areas, West Lothian had lengthy waiting lists for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services
in 2001. They were also developing New Community Schools as the focus for outreach work. The Children’s
Services Plan of 2002/04 proposed new posts of Mental Health Link Worker in New Community Schools.
From January 2003 four Mental Health Link Workers were based in secondary schools to cover 11 secondary
and 66 primary mainstream schools. Their main roles were consultation, direct work and training.
The model was new to Scotland, and
the National Programme for Improving
Mental Health and Well-being funded a
three-year research programme to
study this new way of working,
responding directly to school and
community referrals, including direct
access by children and their families.
From October to December 2004
interviews were carried out with 23
Pupil Support Staff in the 11 secondary
schools. They reported perceived
improvements in:
• their own knowledge about child
mental health and skills
• referral processes for concerns
about children
• access to services for children at
the onset of mental illness
Some staff also reported using the
posts for support with concerns about
behaviour.
The results from comparative
interviews with the four West Lothian
post-holders and six other Primary
Mental Health Workers from other
parts of Scotland highlighted common
problems and demands, including
pressure of work, management
difficulties and short-term funding. They
identified four strands to ‘capacity
building’ in dealing with child mental
health problems:
• Making space to think
• Making relationships
• Providing knowledge and skills
• Providing containment for anxieties
Social work staff reported good early
intervention work but little impact for
Looked After Children. Child and
Adolescent Mental Health (CAMH)
staff said that it helped to have reliable
assessments of children and supports
for them in the community.
A large questionnaire of young people,
three years after class work in primary
schools, was undertaken in June 2006
and was inconclusive about the impact
of this work on later management of
emotions, the only indications being
that it might help boys, and those in
non-RC primary schools.
Full results of the interviews
with school staff are in the article
‘Insiders on the Outside’, Journal
of Public Mental Health, Vol 5,
Issue 2.
A final report on the Research
Project is available at
www.wellscotland.info