Schools’ Mental Health Ambassadors
About the programme

Funded by Health Education England (HEE) and supported by the Department for Education (DfE), Associate Development Solutions (ADS) and the Midlands Young Advisors will be conducting a pilot programme designed to train students to become Mental Health Ambassadors (MHAs) within their schools.
Eligibility and selection criteria
The pilot will be conducted within one MHST and three schools they are working with in the Midlands region. There will be an application process to identify the successful partnership, followed by an application process for students interested in joining the programme.
The partnership will be expected to provide:
- a designated MHA lead within each participating school;
- a designated MHA lead representing the MHST as a whole; and
- EMHP mentors.
Around five to eight Year 9 students will be recruited from each participating school during the 2023 summer term.
Format and timetable
The programme – developed and delivered by young people for young people – will consist of two parts:
- core training sessions to equip students with the basics for undertaking the MHA role; and
- attendance on the ILM Level 2 Young Leaders Award programme.
Training will take place during Year 10 and students will be awarded both an MHA certificate and a certificate from the Institute of Leadership and Management upon successful completion of the programme.
Support
Participating MHAs, schools and the MHST will receive ongoing support from ADS and the Young Advisors team for 6 months following the programme, consisting of:
- regular online support sessions for the MHAs; and
- regular programme reviews with schools and MHA leads.
Benefits
The programme is expected to offer the following benefits:
- increased emotional wellbeing and confidence of the young people involved;
- increased knowledge of mental health and support for young people along with decreased stigma;
- establishment of a ‘whole-school’ approach in relation to mental health;
- development of young people’s skills, leading to improved employability; and
- a raised awareness of children’s and young people’s mental health as a career option.
Any questions?
For more information about the programme, please contact Josie Barraclough at:
Key events
Feb 2023
MHST and school applications open.
Feb 2023
MHST and school applications close.
Apr 2023
Successful MHST and schools notified.
May 2023
Young Advisor team and EMHP visit schools to promote the project.
Student applications open.Jun 2023
Student applications close (TBC).
Successful students notified (TBC).Jul 2023
Student induction session (TBC).
First student ILM2 session (TBC).Aug 2023
Second student ILM2 session (TBC).
Sep 2023
Student core training programme starts (TBC).
Student ILM2 programme continues (TBC).