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<p>The Department’s nationally representative survey of school and college provision
published in 2017 suggested that the most common types of support offered for pupils
with identified mental health needs were educational psychological support (61%) and
counselling services (61%), with 84% of secondary schools providing their pupils with
access to counselling support. Survey results can be accessed here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/supporting-mental-health-in-schools-and-colleges"
target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/supporting-mental-health-in-schools-and-colleges</a>.</p><p>Since
this survey was done, the Department has taken significant steps to improve access
to specialist mental health support in schools and colleges. We are introducing new
Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs) to provide dedicated support to schools and colleges
and quicker access to an increased range of support and treatments. These teams will
employ new staff who are being recruited and trained specifically for the programme.
The first 25 trailblazer sites delivering 59 new teams were announced in December
2018. These MHSTs are all expected to complete their training by early 2020 and will
be fully operational following this. The aim is to cover between a fifth and a quarter
of the country by 2023. The teams are part of extensive wider investment in the NHS
which means that by 2023-24, an extra 345,000 children and young people aged 0-25
years in England will receive mental health support.</p><p>To support more schools
to provide counselling the Department has provided advice on how to deliver high quality
school-based counselling, which is available here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/counselling-in-schools"
target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/counselling-in-schools</a>.</p>
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