Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to help ensure that school staff are adequately equipped to support the mental health of Afghan refugee children.

This financial year, the government is offering 7,800 schools and colleges in England grants to train a senior mental health lead in their setting. The training will equip senior mental health leads with the knowledge and skills to implement effective processes for identifying students, or specific groups, who need additional mental health support. Furthermore, we have provided additional funding to accelerate the roll out of Mental Health Support Teams linked to schools and colleges, who provide early intervention on mild to moderate mental health issues, to cover approximately 35% of pupils in England by 2023.

For those who need immediate access to specialist support or help, all NHS Mental Health Trusts are providing 24/7 support. Furthermore, to help parents and carers, front line workers and volunteers support children and young people in emergency or crisis situations, the UK Health Security Agency, formally Public Health England, has developed a psychological first aid e-learning training package. The training aims to support those working directly with children and young people to help them access appropriate support needed during and after crisis situations: https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/psychological-first-aid-for-children-and-young-people.