ADD2406 Mental health and wellbeing needs assessment for FE students

Around two million Londoners will experience mental ill health every year. However, the risk is not evenly distributed, with different burdens and outcomes seen for different groups.

Poor mental health is both a consequence of inequality and disadvantage and a cause of it. Some communities and groups of Londoners who face other inequalities also carry a higher burden of mental ill health than others; this includes people living in poverty, people in poor quality jobs or unemployed, those who have been homeless, have a history of violence or abuse or have experienced discrimination.

Young Londoners experience a range of risk factors for poor mental health, and mental health problems that emerge in adolescence will benefit from timely intervention to prevent or manage longer term mental illness. Supporting the emotional health and wellbeing of children and young people is a priority for the Mayor.

The GLA and Thrive LDN are already supporting the mental health of Londoners, and particularly young Londoners, through a range of projects. Supporting mental health and emotional wellbeing is part of the Healthy Early Years London and Healthy Schools London award schemes, and we are currently rolling out Youth Mental Health First Aid through London’s state schools and colleges (delivered through Thrive LDN). Mental health and wellbeing is also a core thread of the London Healthy Workplace Award. In addition, Thrive LDN were commissioned by the University of London in 2019 to undertake a needs assessment of mental health support in London universities.

A continuing gap in our knowledge is understanding the mental health profile of Londoners enrolled in Further Education (FE), which is accessed by those aged 16 and over. In 2016 it was estimated 92 per cent of young Londoners went on to Sixth Form or Further Education Colleges after school .

Moving into further education (FE) is a key transition time in young people’s lives and can therefore impact a persons mental health and wellbeing both positively and negatively. Where there has been a welcome focus on the mental health and wellbeing of students, this has tended to focus on schools and universities, with less time spent on further education colleges.

A report from the DfE in November 2018 stated that disadvantaged students are over represented in FE colleges and that a social gradient exists within these settings where disadvantaged students tend to achieve lower level qualifications and have lower rates of progression to high earning than non-disadvantaged students.

The Association of Colleges has identified the important role that FE plays in supporting the health of learners but that many initiatives aimed at bringing the health and education sector together have not involved FE. The focus of this is also timely given the delegation of powers over the Adult Education Budget to the Mayor of London for 2019/20, as many adults aged 19 and over also participate in FE.

The GLA Health Team will draw up a specification for this project, working with the GLA Skills Team, GLA Education and Youth Team, Team London and Thrive LDN. The GLA will award a grant to the Thrive LDN programme to manage this project, including procuring a suitable contractor to conduct the project. The Thrive LDN mental health programme is endorsed by the London Health Board and is financially hosted by the GLA and Lambeth CCG who both hold financial accountability.

With reference to the GLA Contracts and Funding Code Section 4, this is defined as a funding agreement as the GLA will not be receiving a direct or indirect benefit and the GSL is supporting, via a third party, an activity that aligns with the Mayors priorities, but which is the initiative and activity of the other organisation. An Advisory group will be developed to provide support for the project and next steps.

This needs assessment will:

• improve our understanding of the prevalence of mental health risk factors and wider social determinants of mental health amongst London’s FE student population;
• improve our understanding of the level of mental health and wellbeing need among London’s FE student population and the current support available, including early intervention and prevention;
• improve our understanding of what interventions to support student’s mental health and wellbeing are currently being employed and how their effectiveness is being measured;
• provide recommendations of interventions and opportunities which can better support FE students in the capital, with a view to leveraging funding to that end; and
• ascertain a baseline from which we can assess progress on improving the mental health and wellbeing of London’s further education student population over time.

Under s149 of the Equality Act 2010 (the Equality Act), as a public authority, the GLA must have due regard to the need to eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation, and to advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not. Protected characteristics under the Equality Act are age, disability, gender re-assignment, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, and marriage or civil partnership status (the duty in respect of this last characteristic is to eliminate unlawful discrimination only). Further section 33 (1) of the GLA Act requires the Mayor to make appropriate arrangements with a view to ensuring that in the formulation of the policies and proposals to be included in any of his statutory strategies; and in their implementation, there is “due regard to the principle that there should be equality of opportunity for all people”.

This project will be focussed on addressing the wider determinants of health. It will reflect the HIS, which is designed to address systematic and unfair differences in mental and physical health between groups of people. This project recognises that different groups of Londoners experience specific inequalities and will focus on reaching the most vulnerable and marginalised. This includes socioeconomic inequalities, as well as inequalities experienced by those with single or multiple protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010. The ambition of this project, work on wider determinants of health and health inequalities, and the HIS in general is to improve health for all through an approach of proportionate universalism: universal approaches, with additional support in proportion to need.

Key risks and issues

This project is part of the implementation of the Health Inequalities Strategy within the Health Team Work Programme 2019/20 (approved by MD2439), with £47,000 allocated under the workstream ‘Healthy Minds for Children’.

The Further Education sector is large and fragmented with providers falling into four sub-regional partnerships across London and varying types of learning available providing further complexity. With settings catering for 16-19 year old provision as well as 19+ learners, being able to identify meaningful and tangible opportunities to support the system could pose problems without an agreed focus.

Choosing not to explore the mental health needs that exist within this sector risk further entrenching inequalities both for the student base and workforce, whilst their peers in higher education settings receive further attention and support.

Links to Mayoral strategies and priorities

Skills for Londoners is the first post-16 skills and adult education strategy produced by a London Mayor. This strategy aims to ‘Empower all Londoners to access the education and skills to participate in society and progress in education and work’. To do this the strategy seeks to reduce barriers to participation and increase targeted support to the most disadvantaged groups, so they are better equipped to access education and work.

MD2265 and MD2510 for the Young Londoners Fund have approved funding for Youth Mental Health First Aid training for professionals in educational settings, youth clubs, faith communities and other settings.

Support to the Further Education sector can provide added weight to the work of the Violence Reduction Unit, in particular with the focus on supporting local communities, of which colleges and adult learning settings are key stakeholders.

Approval is sought for the expenditure of £30,000 in financial year 2019/20 to commission a mental health needs assessment of London’s Further Education settings.

The funding will be managed by the Health Team from within the Health, Education and Youth Unit budget.