Mental and Emotional Health within the Context of Further Education – The Role of Transformational Training

Abstract

This is a small-scale action research project, conducted between 2019-2022, undertaken at a College of Further Education. The college is in the Southwest of England and has undergone a significant transformation to include four campuses, spanning a large geographical area. The college offers apprenticeships, full and part-time programmes, and an outstanding SEND provision for students aged between 14-19. The selection of topics for the study arose from a pressing need for policy change across the FE sector, to meet the increasing needs of student mental and emotional health. As an Advanced Practitioner in mental health and wellbeing, I was able to immerse myself in the context of FE change agency and develop an impact training model to begin to achieve this goal, within a realistic and natural timeframe for FE, providing desirable clarity to the sector. The study predominantly utilises qualitative research methodology in accordance with my alignment to constructivism as a theoretical framework. However, quantitative descriptive statistics are included to provide holistic depth and insight into the rich descriptions provided. This mixed-method approach ensured a demonstration of impact and progress, specifically the confidence and knowledge of FE staff. Thematic analysis allows for the experiences of staff undertaking the training model within the setting to be contextualised and to explore to which FE roles mental and emotional health support should belong. This enables the prescribing of key elements that a whole college approach should incorporate. A diverse range of both pastoral and academic staff demonstrated, via the means of interviews and a focus group, that their significant belief was that mental and emotional health support in FE cannot and should not solely be the role of designated pastoral staff. This research concludes with significant and original recommendations to other FE institutions wishing to embed educationbased mental health support and a MHL role. Additionally, this research provides working examples and recommendations for the transferability of a training model to instill a whole college approach to mental and emotional health.