To ask the Minister of Education what work his Department has undertaken alongside the Department of Health to ensure that teachers are trained to support young people with early intervention mental health measures.

As part of the joint Department of Education (DE) and Department of Health (DoH) Children and Young People’s Emotional Health and Wellbeing in Education Framework, work is underway to enhance awareness and knowledge of emotional health and wellbeing through access to training and provision of other resources.

The Emotional Wellbeing Teams in Schools Project (DoH-led) helps post primary schools link to local support services and better understand the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) referral process. Furthermore, the Being Well Doing Well Programme led by the Education Authority (EA) will deliver a whole-school approach to emotional health and wellbeing across all schools.

In addition, the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment provides curricular guidance and teaching support materials for use in schools on its Wellbeing Hub. This contains a range of age-appropriate, up-to-date and relevant resources to support the emotional health and wellbeing of pupils.

Finally, there are a significant number of compulsory elements on mental health and wellbeing issues as part of Initial Teacher Education.