Senior Mental Health Lead Programme
DfE Approved Provider
£1200 of grant funding is available from the Department of Education until the 31st of March 2025 to train Senior Mental Health Leads.
Book a place on our CPD-accredited Senior Mental Health Lead Programme funded by the Department of Education. For more information on how you can access government funding please click here, or for our complete step-by-step guide on applying for the grant click here.
All potential school Mental Health Leads are welcome! If you would like to join us and you are unable to access the grant we have a self-funded route, we’d love you to join our community as well.
Places are limited. Save your spot.
Improve your School or College's approach to Mental Health.
Our DfE approved course is modular and flexible and offers a mix of online & video instruction, directed reflection, webinars and coaching to best suit your learning needs. You will cover the following:
Getting the basics right – Learn the wellbeing scale from flourishing to mental health issues.
Clarity first – Evaluate the state of mental health and its policies in your school.
The change starts with you – Become a role model by using wellbeing inducing leadership skills
Better together – Co-create your schools’ wellbeing vision for a transformative and inclusive environment.
Learn and grow – Focus on upskilling multi-stakeholders alongside curricular frameworks for key culture change.
Reach for effective care – Identify indicators for swift mental health interventions, including students voice.
Moving forward – Evaluate and optimise all changes for wellbeing sustainability.
Sharing best practice – Join our online community of SMHL who are passionate for people’s mental wellbeing.
The Outcome
After course completion you will be able to confidently support your school on the road to more wellbeing.
You will know how to:
- Promote wellbeing and organise professional mental health support
- Evaluate what works and what needs change
- Lead change mind- and skilfully
- Create dialogue and buy-in in your community
- Offer targeted learning for teachers, students, parents
- Take swift action when effective care is needed
- Improve and adapt the action plan for lasting change
Your Road to Success
This course is only the beginning. Once your course is completed we will support you further:
- We will help you implement your developed whole school change action plan
- You will get CPD credits and a certificate to validate your course efforts
- You can continue to connect and learn with other Senior Mental Health Leads through our online SMHL community hub
- You can join our additional complimentary personal Wellbeing Programme
- You can access our “Using strengths in the classroom course” for enhanced student engagement
Key Programme Characteristics
Action
Modular activities to build strategic action plan which supports positive whole-school change.
Alumni
Previous successful TSP SMHL remain members for continued access and ongoing support.
Connect
SMHL Community Platform – connect with other SMHL, access ongoing expert peer support, coaching and networking.
Flex
Modular self-paced, on-demand sessions which are accessible at your convenience.
Individual
One to One coaching, mentoring or supervision between our experts and the senior leads.
Live
Regular live engagement group sessions, held by expert presenters in mental health education with Q&A in each module.
Peer
Group coaching, mentoring or supervision between our experts and multiple senior leads.
Recognition
Modular knowledge tests and end assessment to enable certificate completion and CPD credits.
Reflect
Modular resources, activities, reflection, and expansion of concepts through playbook to support each module.
Our Experts
Dr Elke Paul
Dr. Elke Paul, is co-founder of CreatePositive, a professional learning ecosystem to advance mental wellbeing and human skills. She is an international education and mental wellbeing consultant, content developer, facilitator, and speaker.
She is passionate about Wellbeing Transformation Programs and has experienced them turn schools into empowered flourishing organisations. She believes wellbeing education needs to sit at the core of any school education alongside academic knowledge development. Dedicated leadership and staff up skilling and community participation are crucial levers for success. As a board member of the Spirituality and Meaning Division at the International Positive Psychology Association she is convinced, the art of slowing down, mindfulness, and developing a healthy relationship with oneself are additional drivers for a positive change in schools.
Given current global challenges, and with teachers and students specifically, wellbeing education needs to get to schools directly and more professionally. Through CreatePositive Elke has been able to support and empower other educators with strategies, tools and knowledge to enable them to bring about whole-school wellbeing change within their school communities.
Ella Savell-Boss
Ella is an NSPCC accredited safeguarding trainer and has over 17 years’ experience of working with children and families in education and safeguarding. Her roles have included working across the whole school community with children, families, staff, governors, and external agencies. Ella led her previous school in achieving Optimus Education and Children’s Society Wellbeing Award and has supported and advised other schools working towards this award.
Ella has worked as a frontline lead for safeguarding, emotional health, and wellbeing across a Multi-Academy Trust in a highly deprived area and has experience on leading staff and community in developing new ways to increase learning, understanding, monitoring and evaluation.
Understanding school safeguarding management, challenges, pressures, and barriers posed, gives her the depth of understanding to support future Senior Mental Health Leads to overcome these. Ella is passionate about ensuring adequate wrap-around support is provided to staff holding these key roles and foundation for bringing about whole school change.
Ella has seen the growing need for a Senior Mental Health role to be established within schools and this makes her an ideal expert support for the Thirsty Scholars Partnership SMHL programme.
