Headstart is a mental health support programme being piloted across Lancashire and South Cumbria to support the mental health of year 6 children who are transitioning into secondary school, which is being delivered alongside the EFL Trust and multiple Club Community Organisations (CCOs).
The programme aims to reduce the strain on the NHS by targeting those children currently accessing or at risk of needing to access children’s mental health services.
Programmes like Headstart have been accelerated after the Chief Medical Officer, Professor Chris Whitty, raised concerns of the increasing rate of mental disorder in children. In 2020, one in six (16%) children aged 5 to 16 years were identified as having a probable mental disorder, increasing from one in nine (10.8%) in 2017.
The PNECET Mental Health Transformation Officer leads on the programme and supports children from five Preston primary schools with their transition to high school.
For more information about Headstart, please get in touch with jessica@pne.com.