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<p>Ministers and officials in the Department for Education and Department of Health
and Social Care are meeting regularly to discuss the effect of the changes to education
and how to provide support for mental health and wellbeing of children and young people.
Access to mental health support is more important than ever during the COVID-19 outbreak.
NHS services remain open, and leading mental health charities are being supported
to deliver additional services through the £5 million Coronavirus Mental Health Response
Fund. During Mental Health Awareness Week, the government announced that a further
£4.2 million will be awarded to mental health charities, including the Samaritans,
Young Minds, and Bipolar UK.</p><p>All NHS mental health trusts have been asked to
ensure that there are 24/7 open access telephone lines to support people of all ages.
Public Health England and Health Education England have also developed advice and
guidance for parents and professionals on supporting children and young people’s mental
health and wellbeing, which is available here:<br> <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-guidance-on-supporting-children-and-young-peoples-mental-health-and-wellbeing"
target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-guidance-on-supporting-children-and-young-peoples-mental-health-and-wellbeing</a>.</p><p>The
department has signposted resources on supporting and promoting mental wellbeing among
the list of resources to help children to learn at home, which are available here:<br>
<a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-online-education-resources"
target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-online-education-resources</a>.</p><p>BBC
Bitesize has also worked with the department to provide content with substantial focus
on mental health, wellbeing and pastoral care.</p><p>The return to school will, in
itself, be part of supporting the mental health and wellbeing of pupils, as attendance
at school allows social interaction with peers, carers and teachers, which benefits
wellbeing. We have now given secondary schools the flexibility to have a face-to-face
‘check-up’ with all pupils during the summer term, which will ensure more children
and young people are able to achieve this benefit. Pupil wellbeing is an important
consideration within our guidance on actions for educational and childcare settings
as they begin to open in June 2020, which is available at:<br> <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-educational-and-childcare-settings-to-prepare-for-wider-opening-from-1-june-2020"
target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-educational-and-childcare-settings-to-prepare-for-wider-opening-from-1-june-2020</a>.</p><p>The
planning guide for primaries provides more information on supporting the mental wellbeing
of pupils as they return to school:<br> <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/preparing-for-the-wider-opening-of-schools-from-1-june/planning-guide-for-primary-schools#managing-pupil-and-staff-wellbeing-and-mental-health"
target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/preparing-for-the-wider-opening-of-schools-from-1-june/planning-guide-for-primary-schools#managing-pupil-and-staff-wellbeing-and-mental-health</a>.</p>
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