Mental Health Support Team Marks Five Years Of Helping Island Young People

A team supporting the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people across the Isle of Wight is celebrating its fifth anniversary.

The Isle of Wight Mental Health Support Team (MHST) was established in January 2021 and now works with the majority of the Island's mainstream schools, colleges and sixth forms.

The service provides early intervention support for children and young people experiencing mild to moderate mental health difficulties.

This includes one-to-one sessions, group work, advice for schools and wider wellbeing initiatives.

Over the past five years, the team has expanded significantly, growing from supporting eight schools to offering services across schools throughout the Island.

According to the MHST, more than 1,900 referrals have been received since its launch.

The team has also carried out more than 1,500 assessments and delivered over 5,200 one-to-one support sessions.

The service also works with school staff and designated mental health leads to help identify and support pupils who may be experiencing common mental health challenges.

Charlotte Young, Clinical Team Lead for the MHST, said the team had adapted its support to meet the needs of different school communities, covering topics ranging from sleep and wellbeing for younger pupils to exam stress for older students.

The team says it is looking forward to continuing its work following the Government's commitment to ongoing funding for school-based mental health support services.

Anyone seeking further information about the Mental Health Support Team can contact the service via email at iownt.mhst@nhs.net.