New research from Anna Freud offers a stark insight into how supported families feel when it comes to children’s mental health and wellbeing.
New research from Anna Freud offers a stark insight into how supported families feel when it comes to children’s mental health and wellbeing.
In a nationally representative survey of 1,120 UK parents and carers, just 13% said they felt they had enough support for their child’s mental health and wellbeing. Almost a third wanted more mental health support in schools, while parents also called for guidance on stress, anxiety and low mood, better access to talking therapies, and more support within their local communities.
The findings, published by Anna Freud in “1 in 10 parents say they have enough support for their child’s mental health and wellbeing”, reinforce something schools experience every day: families increasingly look to trusted education professionals for help, guidance and reassurance.
Schools cannot meet this challenge through goodwill alone. Staff need relevant, high-quality School Mental Health qualifications that match their roles, responsibilities and the needs of their settings.
Schools are a vital part of the support system
Children and young people spend a significant proportion of their lives in school. It is often where changes in behaviour, attendance, relationships, confidence or engagement are first noticed.
Schools can provide a consistent environment in which pupils feel known, valued and connected. They can promote mental health, strengthen protective factors, identify concerns early and help families navigate appropriate sources of support.
However, this does not mean that every member of school staff should become a mental health clinician. Nor should schools be expected to replace health and specialist services.
Instead, schools need knowledgeable and confident professionals who understand both mental health and the particular context of education. Staff must know what falls within their role, when a pupil may need additional help and how to work effectively with families and external services.
That requires more than a one-off wellbeing initiative or a collection of disconnected resources. It requires sustained professional learning and a coherent whole-school approach.
The right qualification for the right role
Not everyone working in a school needs the same depth or type of mental health knowledge.
A teacher or teaching assistant may need a strong foundation in School Mental Health, including an understanding of common needs, protective factors and appropriate responses.
A pastoral professional, SENCO or member of staff with direct responsibility for supporting pupils may require deeper practitioner expertise. They need to apply evidence-informed knowledge, work across professional boundaries and understand how mental health interacts with learning, behaviour, relationships, identity and belonging.
Senior leaders and those responsible for whole-school mental health need a different set of capabilities. Their role includes shaping culture, developing strategy, evaluating provision, allocating resources and ensuring that mental health is embedded across policies and everyday practice.
Relevant qualifications recognise these differences. They enable people to develop the right knowledge for the work they are actually expected to undertake.
The Minds Ahead School Mental Health Qualifications Framework provides structured progression for professionals working at different levels. It includes:
- Level 2 awareness for those beginning to develop their understanding of School Mental Health
- Level 5 practitioner development for professionals actively supporting or leading mental health work
- Level 7 specialist and strategic leadership qualifications for those developing advanced expertise or shaping whole-school practice
This kind of progression matters. It helps schools avoid giving complex responsibilities to staff who have received only introductory training, while ensuring that senior and specialist roles are supported by suitably rigorous professional development.
From awareness to confident practice
Mental health awareness is valuable, but awareness by itself does not necessarily give someone the confidence to make complex decisions.
Relevant qualifications help staff connect knowledge with practice. Learning can be applied to real situations within the participant’s own school or college, enabling professionals to reflect on their context, evaluate existing provision and make sustainable improvements.
This can help staff to:
- recognise needs and respond appropriately
- understand the boundaries of their role
- communicate more confidently with pupils and families
- distinguish between universal, targeted and specialist support
- work more effectively with external professionals
- develop preventive approaches instead of relying solely on crisis responses
- make evidence-informed decisions
- contribute to a coherent whole-school mental health strategy
Qualifications also give mental health responsibilities greater professional recognition. Where a member of staff is being asked to lead significant work, they should have access to development that reflects the importance and complexity of that role.
Supporting parents through a stronger school system
Anna Freud’s research shows that parents want support to be available in the everyday places where children live and learn. Schools are central to that picture, but meaningful support depends on trust, clarity and collaboration.
Qualified staff can help create a more navigable system for families. They can communicate what the school offers, explain the limits of that support and help parents understand what may happen next. They can also ensure that parents’ knowledge of their children is respected and included in decision-making.
This does not remove the need for greater investment in community and specialist provision. It does, however, help schools play their distinctive role more confidently and effectively.
Building capability, not adding another initiative
Schools do not need another short-lived wellbeing initiative. They need coherence.
That means developing mental health knowledge throughout the workforce, creating appropriate specialist capacity and ensuring that strategic leadership connects policy with everyday experience.
Investing in relevant School Mental Health qualifications is therefore not simply an investment in individual professional development. It is an investment in the school’s long-term ability to promote wellbeing, respond to need and work alongside families.
When staff have qualifications that are relevant to their roles, mental health becomes more than an additional responsibility. It becomes part of a thoughtful, sustainable and whole-school approach in which pupils, families and staff can feel better understood and supported.
Explore the Minds Ahead School Mental Health Qualifications Framework and find the right level of development for you or your team.