On World Mental Health day, Thursday 10th October, Derby held its second event for the Designated Senior Lead for Mental Health (DSLMH) network at Pride Park Stadium. It was attended by over half of Derby Schools alongside professionals from both local health services and exciting new Children and Young People’s mental health initiatives.
It was an important event marking both World Mental Health Day and a milestone of progress for the 107 Derby City Schools that now have a DSLMH in training.
This was the second of the planned termly networking events, and it allowed schools from right across the city to meet, share practice and work collaboratively towards the common purpose of embedding a whole school approach to emotional and mental health.
The agenda included a range of informative and useful presentations encapsulating a range of strategic updates, such as the Derby and Derbyshire Clinical Commissioning Group update delivered by Paul Sample (Senior Commissioning Manager for ‘Future in Mind’), information on new and exciting services, such as the presentation from ‘Action for Children’ on their new ‘Build Sound Minds’ initiative, and real-world case studies such as the presentation on creating an effective mental health action plan in schools from Lisa Jackaman, the DSLMH from Parkview Primary School.
The standout presentation of the day however was undoubtedly the case-study presentation from the City of Derby Academy Wellbeing Ambassadors, which highlighted both the schools drive towards a whole school approach to emotional and mental health, as well as their fantastic work in student-led support.
It was a varied and positive event which served to highlight the continued drive from Derby City Schools to provide the absolute best outcomes for all of their children and young people.