On 11 May, the Vice-President, Regional Minister of Education and Universities, Mr. Enrique Ossorio, together with the President of the Foundation, Alicia Koplowitz, presented the extension of the Mental Health Programmes for schools, designed and sponsored by our Foundation, to Special Education centres in the Community of Madrid.
According to Alicia Koplowitz: “As a result of the continuity in the joint work between the Departments of Education and Health and the Foundation, specifically through the Education Coexistence Unit and the Psychiatry and Mental Health Institute of the Gregorio Marañón Hospital, we have created a new Care Liaison Team that will go to these educational centres to advise staff, such as teachers, counsellors, route and canteen staff, to intervene in situations that require it, offering care to pupils who need it. In addition, through the Training Programme, which we have created in collaboration with the Directorate General for Bilingualism and Quality of Education, we will offer all Special Education centres in the Community two new online courses, in this case, on Mental Health in students with disabilities: one for teachers and counsellors and another for families and the rest of the educational community”.
Department of Education: “The aim of this action is to promote basic knowledge among teachers and management teams of these specialised schools for the early detection of cases, as well as to promote a positive and safe school environment. They will also be trained in techniques and protocols, such as positive behavioural support for the management of behavioural problems, and will be offered clinical assessment and referral of children at risk”.
The liaison team in charge of the development of this initiative is made up of five technical teachers, an expert in hearing and language, a guidance counsellor, a psychiatrist and a clinical psychologist, who coordinate with the schools and their teaching staff.