A quality improvement project to assess the effectiveness of Youth Mental Health First Aid Training for school nurses

There is a growing literature base indicating that school nurses are well placed to support children and young people with mental health needs (Smith and Bevan, 2020; Taylor-Beirne, 2022). Although there are identified training gaps and some school nurses lack confidence in this area, there is recent evidence to suggest that, with the right training, school nurses can be effective at identifying and supporting children in need of emotional and mental health support (Ravenna and Cleaver, 2016; Smith and Bevan, 2020; Taylor-Beirne, 2022). As a result, accredited, evidence-based training courses should be offered to school nurses to improve their confidence and increase their knowledge of mental health issues (Ravenna and Cleaver, 2016; Taylor-Beirne, 2022). This highlighted need is within the context of increasing child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) waiting lists, and heightened levels of poor emotional wellbeing after the COVID-19 pandemic (Local Government Association, 2023; Young Minds, 2023).