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@ewc_cga
We recently submitted our response to the Welsh Government’s consultation on its draft framework guidance on embedding a whole-school approach to emotional well-being and mental health.
How we responded
We believe that the mental health and emotional well-being of both learners and education professionals is fundamental to the success of our schools. We strongly support the concept of a whole-school approach to the promotion of emotional well-being and mental health. In our response, we also make a number of points regarding the implementation of the whole-school approach, including:
- emphasising the importance of building upon existing good practice;
- noting that the planned review of implementation will provide an opportunity to identify problems and gaps in provision, including areas where additional resources may be required or where there are structural issues around service delivery; and
- highlighting the need to ensure that the school workforce receives appropriate professional learning to implement the whole-school approach and the importance of ensuring consistency in the quality of professional learning and resources provided across Wales.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a considerable impact on the mental health and emotional well-being of staff and learners in Wales and appropriate guidance is needed to help schools to address this issue. Additional support should also be given to individuals and groups for whom the current period has proven to be particularly challenging.