Best Practice

Designated mental health leads: What should this new role look like?

Mental health Pastoral issues CPD Government policy Pupil wellbeing Coronavirus
The government wants every school to have a designated mental health lead in place by 2025 and has announced funding to support training from next year. In light of the pandemic, many schools will want to act sooner. Sam Preston looks at the attributes of this key role


Did you cope, thrive, or shine during lockdown? There can be no doubt that the entire nation’s mental health took a knock as lives and routines were increasingly restricted.

However, it took this global pandemic to catalyse a positive change, breaking the silence and taboo surrounding mental illness.

The government is working on a funding allocation in order to train a Designated Mental Health Lead (DMHL) in every educational setting in England by 2025. The aim is to drive the cultural transformation, early intervention and support strategies required for students experiencing poor mental health to help them cope and succeed.


The DMHL role: Where are we now?

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