Fresh calls for mental health professional in every Leeds school
One school in our city's employed a member of staff to solely focus on improving mental health
It's claimed the rise in children's mental health problems means its vital every Leeds school has someone for them to turn to.
As we continue our Problem Shared campaign, calling for dedicated support in every school, we're hearing from one in our city that's done just that.
Bishop Young Academy's thought to be one of the first in the country to employ someone to focus solely on improving the mental health of staff and kids.
Nicola Etoria heads up the support:
"I'm doing one to ones with young people, I'm running groups that are focussing on anxiety and low mood, I'm building resilience, building confidence and self esteem"
"There are so many pressures on young people - life has changed quite rapidly since the internet came in. So there are a lot of worries on social media, pressures with regards to body image. Before you could leave school and those pressures were gone, you were in a safe home environment, but with the mobile phone it's kind of inescapable."
Many schools have staff members who work to improve mental health and wellbeing, but they're often also teachers or have other responsibilities in school.
It's thought Nicola's one of the first members of school staff whose main job is to focus on the issue.
She thinks others should follow Bishop Young Academy's lead:
"Budgets are tight and schools are stretched but I think it is so important and it's not just about the students' wellbeing - it's about looking after the staff and also the community, so it's about reaching out and giving that support to parents.
"The more we can arm young people with the skills that they need to look after their mental health, the better. Because they might not necessarily face problems while they're in school. They might go on to college or university and later on in life feeling low or stressed or anxious but they've built those skills in school."
Our Problem Shared campaign has been calling for a counseller in every single school in the UK after Morley teenager Daniel Long took his own life because of exam stress.
If you want to sign our petition, it's here.