Advanced Designated Mental Health Lead Courses

Leading to a Level 4 Certificate in Mental Health Aware Leadership (Educational Mental Health Lead) in addition to accreditation as a Designated Mental Health Lead.

Schools and colleges can apply for DfE funding to cover the £800 cost of this course. Additional places can also be purchased.

Who is this course for?

Those appointed to be the mental health lead for a school or college. The senior mental health lead is established in their role and/or has completed comprehensive senior mental health leadership training prior to coming on this course.

About the course contents

The course itself starts with a module discussing the essence of the full role (as determined by the Department for Education), before moving onto a module on ethos and culture for staff and pupils. The following modules focuses on leadership and management of the topic, pupil voice, engagement with parents, carers, the community and the staff body, staff wellbeing and mental health, including overcoming difficulties in working with others. The final part focuses on reflecting on available local mental health services for pupils, in addition to a module on understanding the mental health and wellbeing requirements in the curriculum.

Online learners self-study 10-15 minute videos to work through the contents. They are set reflective and self-study activities by the tutor to facilitate the learning and are expected to work through these as they complete the modules.

Modules:

  • Understanding the Role
  • Ethos and Culture
  • Leadership and Management
  • Pupil Voice
  • Parents, Carers and Community
  • Staff Support and Development
  • Mental Health Interventions
  • Targeted Approach
  • Curriculum, teaching and learning

We are delighted to work with some amazing local organisations to deliver this training in your area, scroll down to see organisations and training dates.

Portfolio

When participants complete the course they automatically receive a digital certificate of attendance. To become a qualified mental health lead there is a portfolio to complete.

As learners work through the course, at the end of each module they are encouraged to complete activities to support the embedding of the learning to their work. In addition, learners complete some self-study of a topic relevant to them or their setting.

This portfolio is based on the Department for Education outcomes for Designated Mental Health Lead training and the portfolio assesses the ability of the participant to be able to perform the competencies identified (or oversee them where that function is undertaken by others) to enable us to qualify them for the role. It can take 3-5 years to embed the learning from the course, so the portfolio allows participants to identify how they would do it, or how they liaise with others to monitor the implementation of the particular skill.

Learners reflect on activities in their portfolio, by responding to the questions in there. Guidance is available on the expectations on the response to each. These need to be returned within 7 months of the course start.

Course Information

Estimated Time: 3 days in-person or online live (or online pre-recorded) and portfolio

Difficulty: Advanced

Course level

  • Introduction
  • Intermediate
  • Advanced

Grant process

  1. Apply for your place on a course
  2. Apply for the grant
  3. We give you a code to claim your grant and invoice you
  4. You claim for the grant money
  5. You attend the training

For more details, please see https://mentalhealthlead.com/dfe-grant-process/

Online Self-study course

Live Online

Delivered by The Root Of It

24th February 2023, 28th April and 9th June

24th March 2023, 18th May & 6th July

19th April 2023, 17th May & 14th June

In-person Courses

Scroll down to view specialist courses and book onto a course

North West

Liverpool – School Improvement Liverpool

30th March 2023, 23rd May & 11th July

Manchester – One Education

TBC

North East

Newcastle – Newcastle Educational Psychology Service

6th June 2023, 5th July & 14th Sept

Northumberland – Northumberland Council

26th April, 28th June & 12th July

Yorkshire and Humber

Leeds – The Root Of It

6th Feb 2023, 6th March & 22nd May

West Midlands

Telford – Shropshire and Telford Education Partnership

10th February 2023, 6th March & 24th April

24th May 2023, 5th July & 20th September

East Midlands

Corby – Maplefields Training and Development

22nd Feb 2023, 22nd March & 26th April

Anglia

Norfolk – Norfolk Educational Psychology Service

7th Feb 2023, 7th March & 16th May

7th June, 20th September, 18th October

Chelmsford – Essex County Council

TBC

Basildon – Billericay Teaching Alliance

27th April 2023, 27th June & 26th Sept

Chafford Hundred – Chafford Hundred Teaching Hub

23nd Feb 2023, 4th May & 29th June

South West

PurbeckDorset Educational Psychology Service

TBC

South East

London (Southwark) – Goodlife Psychology + The Root Of It

TBC

Specialist Courses

We also offer regional specialist courses

SEMH Special Schools and Alternative Provisions

TBC

No course in your area? Click here to let us know you are interested.