Leading charity Aquarius has launched a brand new service to help schools utilise the pupil premium to provide specialist support for young people affected by mental health issues and problems arising from alcohol, drug and gambling misuse in the home.
Figures from NHS Trusts across England reveal that over 100,000 children were turned away from Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) between 2015 and 2017, with an average of 150 pupils a day not getting the support they need. This research is supported by statistics from the Care Quality Commission Report 2017 which shows that those accepted were still waiting up to 18 months to be treated.
With no waiting lists, Aquarius Life provides early intervention and multi-disciplinary behavioural support to build resilience in young people, improve life chances, reduce absenteeism and exclusion rates, and improve results for secondary schools. Specialist services include one-to-one and group support, counselling services and prevention and information workshops, which can be funded using the pupil premium.
Aquarius Life also contributes to PHSE education programmes by covering topics in the core themes of ‘health and wellbeing’ and ‘living in the wider world’ and also helps schools and colleges demonstrate their commitment to SMSC development and meeting the SMSC Quality Mark.
Recent research by Aquarius Life also reveals that 83% of all employees in the education sector have experienced stress or pressure that they are struggling to cope with. To support these employees, Aquarius Life also provides important training and CPD for teaching staff, staff wellbeing programmes, policy development for schools and support for parents and carers, as well as coordination and referral services between other agencies.
Annette Fleming, CEO of Aquarius, comments: “Thousands of children every year are not getting the help they desperately need and teachers are struggling too. That’s why we have launched Aquarius Life to help schools provide the right support, at the right time, to those most in need.
“We take a partnership approach to improving lives and life chances by providing immediate access to a range of specialist services that meet the specific needs of the individual and the school. And, as a charity, we are able to help teachers maximise the available pupil premium by providing costs effective solutions.”
Aquarius Life is part of Aquarius, a charity that has been providing specialist support services relating to alcohol, drugs, gambling and mental health to children, young people and professionals for over 40 years.
For more information on Aquarius Life, visit aquariuslife.org.uk