Training for schools

Yes!

As well as our partnership work we are continuing to meet requests for 'one-off' training sessions. 

It is widely recognised that a child or young person’s emotional health and wellbeing influences their cognitive development and learning as well as their physical health, social health and their mental wellbeing in adulthood. It is therefore fundamental for them to be able to thrive in life.

Underpinning all our work in schools is a belief in a whole school approach that promotes children and young people’s emotional health and wellbeing using our framework of ‘the two Ps’: people and processes.

Our offer aims to embed mental health and wellbeing into the school’s community in a way that fits their unique needs and priorities. It applies evidence-based approaches that promote wellbeing and see children flourish, learn, succeed and develop the strengths and coping skills that underpin resilience and positive mental health.

Ensuring that all organisations and communities have access to high quality mental health training is crucial to their success. Mental health training is essential for everyone as it encourages people to talk more freely about mental health, reduces stigma and creates a positive culture.

When inviting attendees to a talk or training session, the event organisers should ensure that the topics are relevant to all the participants and their roles so that they remain engaged and derive clear benefits from the training.

Our courses can be developed and made accessible to those in a non-specialist mental health role including students and pupils, parents, teachers, volunteers, boards, governors, managers and employees.

Organisations should ensure that there is sufficient time and support given to those who attend the training to have safe conversations and share questions that may arise.

If our trainers are speaking to pupils we advise that all staff should receive training on mental health as well. This ensures they have the skills and confidence to have any conversations that may arise as a result of these sessions.  

We also encourage schools to have an ongoing relationship with one of our trainers in order to support the development of the school’s overall offer of mental health support. This means the sessions delivered are not ‘one-offs’ nor the only input around mental health that pupils receive that year. 

Our trainers may ask schools for information around their PSHE curriculum, and how they are planning to support pupils before and after sessions, before confirming a booking. 

The cornerstone of our offer to schools is that it should be free of charge - this has been a key element of our offer since the charity’s inception in 1997. We are not directly funded by local authorities or CCGs, so our work is enabled through fundraising.

While we do not charge schools for our services, we do ask you to make a donation if you can. We also like to encourage schools to undertake fundraising activities for us to enable our work to continue. We are always grateful for these donations and in awe of the energy and creativity schools and individuals put into their fundraising!

As a guideline, we estimate a full day's training would cost approximately £500 per event and any donation you are able to make would be very welcome.

Our trainers are usually very busy, particularly at certain points within the academic calendar. To ensure that we are able to fulfil your request for training, we ask you to try to give at least three months’ notice for bookings.

Teen Brain Matters is an interactive two-hour workshop with lots of opportunity for discussion. It includes a presentation on the teenage brain followed by activities for the participants.

This workshop is run for parents and carers OR for educators, with each session being adapted to the relevant audience.

The session covers the main changes in the brain during the teenage years:

• Hormones
• Risky behaviour
• The social brain
• Sleep
• The role of parents/carers and other adults

Participants receive a practical workbook to use during the session and to keep for future reference.

More about Teen Brain Matters

We know that, other than during the first three years of life, the brain goes through the biggest change in its development during adolescence. This is a critical time in teens’ lives and as parents, carers and teachers, we have a crucial role to play in helping to guide and develop them to grow into healthy and successful adults.

The Teen Brain Matters workshop combines the latest understanding of neuroscience and developmental psychology with practical strategies to help attendees understand the changes teenagers are going through, and what they can do to support them.

The workshop has been developed for the Charlie Waller Trust by Dr John Coleman OBE, a psychologist with an international reputation for his work on the teenage years.

Delivered by experienced trainers

A group of Charlie Waller Trust trainers have worked with Dr John Coleman to deliver this workshop based on his work.

Request your own Teen Brain Matters session for your school

The workshop must be booked by schools (including for parents and carers) using our training request form. Please specify when prompted that you would like a Teen Brain Matters workshop, and if applicable include the name of the Charlie Waller trainer you have been in contact with.

Read more about Dr John Coleman's latest book 'The teacher and the teenage brain'. 

Charlie Waller Trust trainer Jenny Langley presents workshops for carers of loved ones with an eating disorder. The workshops are based on the techniques introduced in Skills Based Caring for a Loved One with an Eating Disorder, The New Maudsley Method by Professor Janet Treasure.

Jenny says: “When offered the opportunity carers are extremely motivated to learn the necessary skills to support their loved one and, in my experience, they can pick them up very quickly. This is why I have been delivering the evidence-based New Maudsley carer skills workshops for over ten years. They really do help and I have many heartfelt testimonials to back this up."

What parents and carers say about Jenny Langley's New Maudsley carer skills workshops:

• “Jenny has so much knowledge and is extremely empathic and supportive.”
• “Jenny’s level of knowledge, experience and empathy is invaluable.”
• “This course gives hope to families and tools to use.”
• “Very good at encouraging contributions, completely non judgemental.”
• “This is incredibly helpful as you begin to practice and use the skills you are learning immediately.”
• “Thank you Jenny for giving hope in such a distressing time.”
• 98% rated the overall course ‘very good’.

The core New Maudsley training sessions are:

Teenage brain and eating disorders

In this session, the latest understanding of neuroscience and developmental psychology is combined with practical strategies to help you understand the changes teenagers are going through and what you can do to help support them.

Self-harm and eating disorders

This session is just being offered to carers of loved ones with an eating disorder. It is built around three very common questions:

• Why has my loved one with an eating disorder suddenly started self harming?
• How should we best respond to self harming behaviours?
• How can I manage my own distress when my loved one is self harming?

Relapse contingency planning

In this seminar we review how best to support your loved one when they are in the maintenance stage of recovery from an eating disorder (ED). This session is just being offered to carers of loved ones recovering from an eating disorder so that we can consider four very common questions:

• How do I know if it is my healthy loved one moving forward and taking risks, or the ‘ED voice’ trying to trip them up?
• What is a reasonable level of risk?
• What is the difference between a lapse and a relapse?
• Will I ever be able to truly relax and take a step back from my caring role?

Autism and eating disorders

This session is just being offered to carers of loved ones with an eating disorder and an Autistic Spectrum Condition (ASC) or high-level autistic traits so that we can consider three very common questions:

• What useful information can I provide the eating disorder team about my child?
• How can I tell if a behaviour is emanating from the ASC or the eating disorder?
• How should treatment be adapted for my child?

Attend a New Maudsley carer skills workshop

If you would like to attend one of Jenny’s workshops, please express your interest through our training request form (you can find this below). Please specify in this form that you would like to attend a New Maudsley carer skills workshop.

Schools supporting parents

Schools can consider hosting a workshop to support parents and carers of their students in feeling better prepared to support their loved ones. If you are interested, fill in our request form below.