Mary Atkinson

multi-agency working models, challenges and key factors for success

This article relays the findings from a study of multi-agency working involving professionals from the Education, Social Services and Health sectors of local authorities, which are conveyed in two reports - Multi-agency Working: An Audit of Activity, published in February 2001, and Multi-agency Working: A Detailed Study, published in January 2002. This article focuses on models of multi-agency activity, together with the challenges and the key factors for their success.

A Framework for Promoting Mental Health in School

Schools have an important role to play in the promotion of childrens mental health, as well as in the identification and treatment of children with mental health problems. This article proposes a framework for a whole school approach to mental health. The framework focuses on four levels of involvement. The most general level is concerned with school ethos, which encompasses the values shared by all staff and pupils. The next level is whole-school organization, which comprises a range of school policies. Then there is pastoral provision, which concerns procedures in place throughout the school. The final level is classroom practice, which involves the practical strategies used by teachers. A model is presented in order to illustrate visually the four levels in the framework for the promotion of mental health in schools. It is intended that the model will provide schools with a useful framework with which to review their provisions for children with mental health problems and consider the issue of mental health promotion.