Training and workforce development

Training and workforce development is an essential way of ensuring staff have the skills, knowledge, experience and confidence to support children and young people. The aim is to build a strong and sustainable workforce who can adapt and grow and at the heart of this is ensuring they can access training opportunities which are mapped to their role and competencies to deliver better outcomes. Workforce development is not a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach. 

Knowledge and Skills Framework

NHS Education for Scotland’s Children and Young Peoples Mental Health and Wellbeing: A Knowledge and Skills Framework for the Scottish Workforce is a national framework that provides a common language and shared understanding of the mental health and wellbeing needs of children and how this links with staff learning and development.

The framework sets out the levels of knowledge and skills required by staff, across agencies, to deliver wellbeing and mental health supports and interventions within the framework of Getting it right for every child (GIRFEC).

The framework highlights the important role that all staff (at all practice levels) have in supporting mental health and wellbeing. It helps improve clarity around required roles, skills and competencies centred around better outcomes for children & young people. It also considers how to maintain staff wellbeing as they meet the mental health and wellbeing needs of the children that they work with.

The framework can be used as a reference tool when identifying what training is needed at what level to support the wider work of the Our Minds Matter (OMM) Guidance. Three areas within the framework that directly link to the OMM guidance are:

• Trauma – page 25
• Mental Health – pages 28-33
• Risk of Harm - page 44-45

It is important to acknowledge that trauma is associated with an increased likelihood of experiencing suicidal ideation, indicating the need for staff to be trauma-informed as well as having an awareness and understanding of mental health and suicide prevention.

“People who die by or attempt suicide and those who engage in self-harm have elevated rates of trauma exposure” (Asarnow et al.2020)

Training Opportunities

There are various ways staff can up skill; this can be through self-directed learning or facilitated discussion with a trained trainer. Many of the training opportunities available will indicate what level of the framework they sit within; however, it is important that staff members use the framework to consider the most suitable training required for them in relation to their role and remit and the support they offer to the children and young people they work with.

For example, a ‘Pupil Support Assistant’ will likely only require to access Mental Health Improvement and Prevention of Self-Harm and Suicide Ask, Tell... Animations – Children and Young People Training which sits at Level 1 (informed) of the framework. Whereas a ‘Guidance Teacher’ may need to attend Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training which sits at Level 2 (skilled) of the framework. 

There are various organisations/services offering training support for staff related to the OMM Guidance:

• Health Promotion Training Programme
• Fife Child Protection
• Fife Violence Against Women Partnership
• Scottish Women’s Aid
• Public Health Scotland
• NHS Education for Scotland