Mental Health Matters

Mental Health Lead  

At Chorleywood Primary School we are committed to supporting the emotional well-being of the pupils, staff, and parents. We have appointed Mrs Lewis as our Mental Health Lead; she is very passionate about this area. 

If you have any concerns about your child’s mental health and well-being, please contact Mrs Lewis via admin@chorleywood.herts.sch.uk and she will assist in any way she can.  

Stormbreak 

We are delighted to be a stormbreak school. Through being involved in stormbreak we aim to improve children’s mental health through movement, equipping them with sustainable, transferable skills and coping strategies to thrive during the complex demands of growth into adult life.

Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust

Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust accepts referrals for children and young people requiring support for mild mental health, emotional and wellbeing concerns including anxiety, low mood, anger, behaviour, self-esteem, stress, and sleep issues. The service will also accept referrals for a range of other health issues such as healthy eating, substance misuse and sexual health. Referrals can be made by professionals, families and by young people. Referral criteria is available on the website below, or you can call the duty School Nurse to discuss any child you are concerned about on 0300 123 7572 Referrals can be made online through the following link: School nurses in Hertfordshire (hertsfamilycentres.org)

Hertfordshire support services:

As always, please always speak to your child's class teacher first if you feel your child needs support with their emotional wellbeing or mental health. However, if you wish for further advice, please use this interactive document to see the vast range of specialist support that is available for children and young people. If you need a referral from school please speak to Mrs Lewis.

Mental Health Support Team (MHST)

The MHST helps and supports children and young people with mild to moderate mental health concerns in educational settings. This is an exciting opportunity for schools and mental health practitioners to co-create an early intervention service that suits the school, the young person and their families. The MHST offer guided self-help and low intensity interventions to children and young people and who have mild to moderate symptoms of anxiety, low mood, and challenging behaviours. We offer parent led interventions to primary age children for anxiety and behavioural difficulties and direct work with students in secondary schools and college settings. We have 10 teams based throughout Hertfordshire, covering all districts. Our team launched in 2022 and covers the Three Rivers district. The government proposal is to ensure that all schools have a MHST by 2025.

We work with both primary and secondary schools based in the Three Rivers district and are based in Rickmansworth School. Each of our Educational Mental Health Practitioners (EMHPs) are based in their schools one day a week. 

Our designated EMHP is Ben Ansell. Ben works at our school every Friday.

If you wish to make a referral to this service, please speak to Mrs Lewis.

• Childline – if you’re under 19, you can call 0800 1111 to talk to the helpline between 7.30am and 3.30am every day. The number will not appear on your phone bill.
• Sandbox – NHS-funded service to support children and young people in South Staffordshire and Hertfordshire with their mental health and well-being. 
• Papyrus – Tel: 0800 0684141 Text: 0778 6209697 Email: pat@papyrus-uk.org, 10am-10pm weekdays, 2pm-10pm weekends and bank holidays.
• Samaritans – Call 116 123 to talk or email: jo@samaritans.org for a reply within 24 hours.
• Just Talk – multi-agency campaign, steered by young people.
• Hertfordshire Local Offer – The Local Offer lets parents and young people know what special educational needs and disabilities services are available in Hertfordshire, and who can access them.
• First Step ED skills – offers free online workshops for Hertfordshire parents, carers & older siblings, who are supporting a young person with their body image, disordered eating and/or eating disorders.
• Healthy Young Minds in Herts – the Hertfordshire website for commissioned services
• With Youth – provides online support to children and young people experiencing mental ill health and/or emotional distress. Available for any Hertfordshire resident aged 5-18, as well as parents, carers and professionals.
• Angels Support Group – For Parents/carers with children with ADHD and/or on the Autistic spectrum
• ADD-Vance – A Hertfordshire-based charity that supports families affected by ADHD, Autism or a related condition and the professionals who support them.
• Space –  supports families of children and young people who are autistic, or have ADHD or other neurodiverse conditions.

Delivering Special Provision Locally (DSPL) 

As a school, we belong to the DSPL9 network. Through this network, we are able to access a range of support and advice. As parents, you are also able to access this support directly. Please visit https://www.dspl9.uk/ and click on the 'Parents' tab to see what they can offer. They release monthly newsletters (also available on this tab) with upcoming events and sessions that may be of interest so please do take a look.